7 ms·

I know this is a technical site, but for all of these I always get a little sad with how few fictional books are listed on these types of posts. Going over it,

I know this is a technical site, but for all of these I always get a little sad with how few fictional books are listed on these types of posts. Going over it, seems like there's just one, "The Nix" (may be more where I just missed them). I like seeing fictional books since I can relate to the people writing them. If I enjoyed some of the fictional books that people talk about, then I'll go along with their non-fiction recommendations. Also, reading fiction shouldn't be treated like time wasted! I see that comment a lot by people who only read the non-fiction books, but I highly disagree with that thought. For another comment I guess. One way to do that is to have different sections, one for fiction and one non-fiction. I'd love to see that here. On that note, I've actually experienced that here, with some of the book recommendation threads, finding comments with books I also like and then reading the others. Always fun to talk to people who read the same as you.

hypertexthero 9y ago
Agreed. Three fiction recommendations: * The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood * The Last Question by Isaac Asimov * Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon Three non-fiction recommendations: * Art is Work by Milton Glaser * Pragmatic Thinking And Learning by Andy Hunt * The First And Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti
jacobolus 9y ago
There are 3 novels on the list out of 18 books and one blog.
pklausler 9y ago
I returned "The Nix" to Powell's ca. pg. 200 or so when I realized that I really hated it, and I can slog through just about anything.
daveguy 9y ago
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is also fiction and one of the best books I have ever read. I read it over 20 years ago and some of the stories in it still flash in my mind. Definitely going to re-read it. It is a fast read.
- novia 9y ago
  Seconded. I love this book. I was surprised to see it on the list because I expected them to all be recently published.
asdffdsa321 9y ago
Eh, I keep those circles separate. Programmers usually don't discuss or care about literature in my experience. Like any hobby, just gotta find the people that do.
- Osmium 9y ago
  Self-fulfilling prophecy. If we shut down the conversation about literature when it starts, then yes we'll never discuss it ;) I'm always pleased to see posts on literature show up on the HN[0], but often disappointed to see so few comments. But enough people are up-voting them that they do regularly appear on the front page, so there's clearly enough interest around here. [0] e.g. see https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=nybooks.com https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=nybooks.com and https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=lrb.co.uk https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=lrb.co.uk
  - TeMPOraL 9y ago
    Self-fulfilling prophecy indeed, and also very self-limiting. Personally, I got some of the best fiction recommendations from people here on HN, and I'm very thankful for them.
dsplittgerber 9y ago
I'm interested in your argument to why fiction is not time "wasted"! Would you mind discussing? I have thought about this a lot and personally only read non-fiction, but am always interested in other viewpoints.
- NikolaNovak 9y ago
  I am not the original thread author, but I would postulate that it first depends on what each individual considers time wasted vs time well spent. Many consider a relaxing, entertaining read to be worthwhile after a hard week of work in its own right. For those who need a more "tangible" return on reading, though, many fiction books, intentionally or not, introduce ideas, philosophies, thoughts and perspective. Some explore political systems, others philosophies, others social/economic constructs, yet others interpersonal relationships, etc. From that perspective, one can learn from many fiction books, exercise one's mental muscles, gain new perspectives, and even take actionable insight. I'm not saying Danielle Steel or Sydney Sheldon are necessarily likely candidates for bringing lifestyle change; but I have personally found many fiction (particularly SF in my case) books to have played a large part in influencing my perspective on the world and people within it, impact my likes and priorities, and so on. I don't agree with ideas in Starship Troopers but found them challenging my own worldview. Arthur Clarke put Sri Lanka / Ceylon on my bucket list, made me interested in astronomy AND computer science. Neuromancer instigated my trip to Japan and visit to Tokyo, where I very much experienced the night-time vista through Case's eyes. A lot of Tom Clancy (I know... I know;) renewed my interest in flying and geopolitics, and I've happily used the word "nekulturny" in my daily usage since. Karl May's doubly-fictional accounts of American West and Arabian Peninsula added them to my own imagination. Tau Zero, Childhood's end, and Children of men made me realize how much I empathized with success and continuation of species more than Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" or Dawkins' "Selfish Gene" ever did. And so on... My $0.01 CAD :)
- pjschlic 9y ago
  Speaking for myself, I tend to alternate between fiction and non-fiction books. Generally, fiction books are story-driven (any sci-fi/fantasy/general fiction) and center around relationships between characters overlaid with some other topics. This means any good fiction is a setting custom built to examine specific aspects of humanity or some aspect of the world we live in or could live in. Any reasonably 'good' fiction is an exploration of highs and lows and challenges and redemptions, and I believe that these lead us to be better able to understand our fellow humans, and allow us to better think about and imagine the situations we might face in our lives or re-examine experiences we've had.
secfirstmd 9y ago
Kind of amazed there are so few political books in here...There's a book on backpain but not on the descent into tyranny...
sgustard 9y ago
I loved The Nix. There were chapters that left me physically stunned after reading them. It's as massive a creative achievement as anything I encountered in recent years. Leaving the worlds of business and technology to study messy human relationships can only help to increase empathy in our industry.
gordon_freeman 9y ago
Completely agree with you on not considering fiction as time wasted. I know great thinkers like Elon Musk (and even Mark Zuckerberg) read Sci-fi fictions. In my opinion, Sci-fi fiction books open our minds to not put a hard-limit on implementations of scientific ideas and endeavors. Allowing us to expand our horizon to possibilities which we otherwise would have thought as 'not feasible'.
ojbyrne 9y ago
Having seen these lists in the past, I was actually happy to see at least 1 fiction book (there are actually two).
mecredis 9y ago
Thanks – I'm the one that picked The Nix for the list (I work for YC on their admissions team). One reason I picked it is that is indeed a great book that I have been recommending plenty to friends. Another is that I do think it's incredibly important to be able to enjoy and indulge and make time for fiction, especially when you work in tech. It's too easy to "read for facts / information / theory" and forget the joy that good writing can bring. It took me some reflection to realize I heavily bias towards non-fiction unless I make an effort. But when I do get the chance to read a great novel, it tends to affect me more than reading non-fiction. The world needs more literature, poetry, and art, so I also like supporting authors who ship that product too :) (FWIW, the book probably isn't for everyone, but I think reading great literature is – give it a shot if you haven't in a while!)
- simonebrunozzi 9y ago
  Have you considered Snow Crash, then? It would have been on top of my list.
- di4na 9y ago
  Blond Sight by Peter Watts. Available in CC license on his website rifters.com There are a lot of fiction books that will make you think differently more than non-fiction.
  - provost 9y ago
    > Blond Sight Blindsight* ... I was trying to CTRL+F for "Blond" and couldn't fint it =). Finally found the link here: http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm And downloaded it. Thanks.
    - di4na 9y ago
      Outch yes, it was early this morning, on my phone. Sorry :(
ikurei 9y ago
I'm actually glad. Everytime I talk with people about books I'm saddened by how little non-fiction people read, they only want to read fun novels. I love fiction, especially fantasy and sci-fi. Reading just fiction or reading just non-fiction are both a pity, you are missing out on great experiences. I am under the impression that fiction has won, so seeing non-fiction win around here feels good to me. May be my impression is mistaken? May be that's just where I live?
emodendroket 9y ago
Even the nonfiction strikes me as a bit narrow in interest.

hypertexthero 9y ago

Agreed. Three fiction recommendations: * The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood * The Last Question by Isaac Asimov * Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon Three non-fiction recommendations: * Art is Work by Milton Glaser * Pragmatic Thinking And Learning by Andy Hunt * The First And Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti

jacobolus 9y ago

There are 3 novels on the list out of 18 books and one blog.

pklausler 9y ago

I returned "The Nix" to Powell's ca. pg. 200 or so when I realized that I really hated it, and I can slog through just about anything.

daveguy 9y ago

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is also fiction and one of the best books I have ever read. I read it over 20 years ago and some of the stories in it still flash in my mind. Definitely going to re-read it. It is a fast read.

novia 9y ago
Seconded. I love this book. I was surprised to see it on the list because I expected them to all be recently published.

asdffdsa321 9y ago

Eh, I keep those circles separate. Programmers usually don't discuss or care about literature in my experience. Like any hobby, just gotta find the people that do.

Osmium 9y ago
Self-fulfilling prophecy. If we shut down the conversation about literature when it starts, then yes we'll never discuss it ;) I'm always pleased to see posts on literature show up on the HN[0], but often disappointed to see so few comments. But enough people are up-voting them that they do regularly appear on the front page, so there's clearly enough interest around here. [0] e.g. see https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=nybooks.com https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=nybooks.com and https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=lrb.co.uk https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=lrb.co.uk
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  Self-fulfilling prophecy indeed, and also very self-limiting. Personally, I got some of the best fiction recommendations from people here on HN, and I'm very thankful for them.

dsplittgerber 9y ago

I'm interested in your argument to why fiction is not time "wasted"! Would you mind discussing? I have thought about this a lot and personally only read non-fiction, but am always interested in other viewpoints.

NikolaNovak 9y ago
I am not the original thread author, but I would postulate that it first depends on what each individual considers time wasted vs time well spent. Many consider a relaxing, entertaining read to be worthwhile after a hard week of work in its own right. For those who need a more "tangible" return on reading, though, many fiction books, intentionally or not, introduce ideas, philosophies, thoughts and perspective. Some explore political systems, others philosophies, others social/economic constructs, yet others interpersonal relationships, etc. From that perspective, one can learn from many fiction books, exercise one's mental muscles, gain new perspectives, and even take actionable insight. I'm not saying Danielle Steel or Sydney Sheldon are necessarily likely candidates for bringing lifestyle change; but I have personally found many fiction (particularly SF in my case) books to have played a large part in influencing my perspective on the world and people within it, impact my likes and priorities, and so on. I don't agree with ideas in Starship Troopers but found them challenging my own worldview. Arthur Clarke put Sri Lanka / Ceylon on my bucket list, made me interested in astronomy AND computer science. Neuromancer instigated my trip to Japan and visit to Tokyo, where I very much experienced the night-time vista through Case's eyes. A lot of Tom Clancy (I know... I know;) renewed my interest in flying and geopolitics, and I've happily used the word "nekulturny" in my daily usage since. Karl May's doubly-fictional accounts of American West and Arabian Peninsula added them to my own imagination. Tau Zero, Childhood's end, and Children of men made me realize how much I empathized with success and continuation of species more than Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" or Dawkins' "Selfish Gene" ever did. And so on... My $0.01 CAD :)
pjschlic 9y ago
Speaking for myself, I tend to alternate between fiction and non-fiction books. Generally, fiction books are story-driven (any sci-fi/fantasy/general fiction) and center around relationships between characters overlaid with some other topics. This means any good fiction is a setting custom built to examine specific aspects of humanity or some aspect of the world we live in or could live in. Any reasonably 'good' fiction is an exploration of highs and lows and challenges and redemptions, and I believe that these lead us to be better able to understand our fellow humans, and allow us to better think about and imagine the situations we might face in our lives or re-examine experiences we've had.

secfirstmd 9y ago

Kind of amazed there are so few political books in here...There's a book on backpain but not on the descent into tyranny...

sgustard 9y ago

I loved The Nix. There were chapters that left me physically stunned after reading them. It's as massive a creative achievement as anything I encountered in recent years. Leaving the worlds of business and technology to study messy human relationships can only help to increase empathy in our industry.

gordon_freeman 9y ago

Completely agree with you on not considering fiction as time wasted. I know great thinkers like Elon Musk (and even Mark Zuckerberg) read Sci-fi fictions. In my opinion, Sci-fi fiction books open our minds to not put a hard-limit on implementations of scientific ideas and endeavors. Allowing us to expand our horizon to possibilities which we otherwise would have thought as 'not feasible'.

ojbyrne 9y ago

Having seen these lists in the past, I was actually happy to see at least 1 fiction book (there are actually two).

mecredis 9y ago

Thanks – I'm the one that picked The Nix for the list (I work for YC on their admissions team). One reason I picked it is that is indeed a great book that I have been recommending plenty to friends. Another is that I do think it's incredibly important to be able to enjoy and indulge and make time for fiction, especially when you work in tech. It's too easy to "read for facts / information / theory" and forget the joy that good writing can bring. It took me some reflection to realize I heavily bias towards non-fiction unless I make an effort. But when I do get the chance to read a great novel, it tends to affect me more than reading non-fiction. The world needs more literature, poetry, and art, so I also like supporting authors who ship that product too :) (FWIW, the book probably isn't for everyone, but I think reading great literature is – give it a shot if you haven't in a while!)

simonebrunozzi 9y ago
Have you considered Snow Crash, then? It would have been on top of my list.
di4na 9y ago
Blond Sight by Peter Watts. Available in CC license on his website rifters.com There are a lot of fiction books that will make you think differently more than non-fiction.
- provost 9y ago
  > Blond Sight Blindsight* ... I was trying to CTRL+F for "Blond" and couldn't fint it =). Finally found the link here: http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm And downloaded it. Thanks.
  - di4na 9y ago
    Outch yes, it was early this morning, on my phone. Sorry :(

ikurei 9y ago

I'm actually glad. Everytime I talk with people about books I'm saddened by how little non-fiction people read, they only want to read fun novels. I love fiction, especially fantasy and sci-fi. Reading just fiction or reading just non-fiction are both a pity, you are missing out on great experiences. I am under the impression that fiction has won, so seeing non-fiction win around here feels good to me. May be my impression is mistaken? May be that's just where I live?

emodendroket 9y ago

Even the nonfiction strikes me as a bit narrow in interest.