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Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?

• cdvonstinkpot 11y ago
  'Zen and the Art of Archery' by Eugen Herrigel
• frostmatthew 11y ago
  Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman
• icuci 11y ago
  Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
• idefine 11y ago
  Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0...
• ddw 11y ago
  "Annihilation" by Jeff VanderMeer and the rest of the Southern Reach trilogy.
• vimalvnair 11y ago
  "The Fabric Of Cosmos" by Brian Greene
• ChildOfEru 11y ago
  "A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924" by Orlando Figes http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014024364X http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014024364X
• jeo1234 11y ago
  "Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World" by Ian Bremmer
• BlackLamb 11y ago
  Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle.
• partisan 11y ago
  Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.
  • monroepe 11y ago
    I just bought that book and will be starting it tomorrow. I am finishing up The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan today. My wife loved it (she reads a lot faster than me).
    • partisan 11y ago
      I read through the first three books of the Wheel of Time, but couldn't make it further. I may try again at some point. Did you also love Eye of the World?
      • monroepe 11y ago
        I really enjoyed The Eye of the World. I can't wait to start book 2. I have heard the series slows down considerably later on.But so far I love it.
• SpikedCola 11y ago
  "In the Interests of Safety: The absurd rules that blight our lives and how we can change them" - Tracey Brown & Michael Hanlon http://www.amazon.com/In-Interests-Safety-absurd-blight/dp/0751553492 http://www.amazon.com/In-Interests-Safety-absurd-blight/dp/0...
• fisadev 11y ago
  Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. Don't know if "great", but quite interesting and fun free book at hpmor.com
• BatFastard 11y ago
  Great science fiction book covering the topic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Age https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Age Ideas from that book come up once a week in conversations.
  • Vaskivo 11y ago
    I believe that, following VR, 'ractors' will be the next big thing for entertainment.
• icpmacdo 11y ago
  I'm going through the audiobook of Cryptonomicon, its my first Neal Stephenson book and I am quite enjoying it.
  • atmosx 11y ago
    Did you reach the point of the masturbation function (turns from linear to exponential)? Cryptonomicon is amazing :-)
• vincentbarr 11y ago
  "Meet Your Happy Chemicals: Dopamine, Endorphin, Oxytocin, Serotonin" by Loretta Graziano Breuning http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Your-Happy-Chemicals-Endorphin/dp/1463790929 http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Your-Happy-Chemicals-Endorphin/dp...
• brudgers 11y ago
  Hugo and Nebula award winner Ancillary Justice is pretty good, though perhaps not great. Before that I reread No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy is definitely great and I enjoyed it far more this time than when I read it nine years ago. Right now I am rereading Dune for the first time in at least twenty and possibly thirty years partially because Ancillary Justice reminded me of it, partially because it might be something I recommend trying to my son and partially because being able to read previously read books in new ways is turning out to be a pleasure of getting older. Anyway, Dune is great in ways that Dino Delaurentis and subsequent film makers had made me forget. Langston Hughes' Weary Blues is amazing, but I'm no expert on poetry.
• hmartiniano 11y ago
  "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" by Christopher Hitchens. http://www.amazon.com/God-Is-Not-Great-Everything/dp/0446697966 http://www.amazon.com/God-Is-Not-Great-Everything/dp/0446697...
• monroepe 11y ago
  Dune - Frank Herbert. Just an amazing book.
• ruraljuror 11y ago
  Slightly-techy fiction: Amnesia by Peter Carey.
• atmosx 11y ago
  Brothers Karamazov by FD
• planet_carter 11y ago
  "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard. It's an incredible play which explores some of the foundational concepts of Chaos Theory as literary themes. I'm not a huge fiction reader, but this one gets me every time I read it. The ending is really beautiful.
• Jemaclus 11y ago
  Just recently finished "Seveneves" by Neal Stephenson. It's sci-fi, but fantastic. For non-sci-fi, my favorite fantasy book I've read recently was "The Lies of Locke Lamora" (and its sequels) by Scott Lynch. Another is "Dirty Jobs" by Christopher Moore, a bit on the Pratchett-inspired side of things. I also recently finished Felicia Day's memoir, "You're Never Weird on the Internet," which I highly recommend.
• darrelld 11y ago
  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Excellent storytelling, humour and slice of life human drama. It's just amazing how Junot Diaz tells of the tragedy of one family and the fukú curse that haunts them over generations. http://www.amazon.com/The-Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar/dp/1594483299 http://www.amazon.com/The-Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar/dp/15944...
• TobbenTM 11y ago
  Population: 485 from Michael Perry
• browseatwork 11y ago
  Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham Gold by Isaac Asimov
• cpete 11y ago
  Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. Gorgeous, funny writing. The story spans roughly half a century and moves between Europe and the United States.
• frigg 11y ago
  The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64341.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64341.The_Metamorphosis_o...
• harryc2011 11y ago
  The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
• monknomo 11y ago
  Super-Cannes - JG Ballard
• georgeott 11y ago
  "The Potato Factory: The Australian Trilogy" - Bryce Courtenay