Y Hacker News Books

Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently? ↗

The books people recommended

2017-02-04 · 198 points · 213 comments · 120 books named by at least one person here and at least 3 people overall. The number on the left is how many people named it in this thread.

  1. 7How to Get Rich

    How to Get Rich

    Felix Dennis

    7 here · 15 all-time · #443 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,644 ratings on Amazon
  2. 5

    The Diamond Age

    Neal Stephenson

    5 here · 64 all-time · #58 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 5,358 ratings on Amazon
  3. 5Small Gods

    Small Gods

    Terry Pratchett

    5 here · 14 all-time · #466 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 9,536 ratings on Amazon
  4. 4

    Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

    Harold Abelson

    4 here · 316 all-time · #2 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 742 ratings on Amazon
  5. 4Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

    Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

    Eliezer Yudkowsky

    4 here · 101 all-time · #27 overall

    Buy on Amazon
  6. 4

    Antifragile

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    4 here · 100 all-time · #29 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 8,430 ratings on Amazon
  7. 4

    1984

    George Orwell

    4 here · 94 all-time · #34 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 126,118 ratings on Amazon
  8. 4

    Daemon

    Daniel Suarez

    4 here · 52 all-time · #78 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 6,091 ratings on Amazon
  9. 4

    Freedom

    Daniel Suarez

    4 here · 23 all-time · #260 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 5,152 ratings on Amazon
  10. 4The Colour of Magic

    The Colour of Magic

    Terry Pratchett

    4 here · 5 all-time · #1516 overall

  11. 3

    Dune

    Frank Herbert

    3 here · 250 all-time · #3 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 104,032 ratings on Amazon
  12. 3

    Neuromancer

    William Gibson

    3 here · 117 all-time · #17 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,213 ratings on Amazon
  13. 3

    The Martian

    Andy Weir

    3 here · 103 all-time · #25 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 187,449 ratings on Amazon
  14. 3

    Siddhartha

    Hermann Hesse

    3 here · 97 all-time · #31 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 18,150 ratings on Amazon
  15. 3

    Man's Search for Meaning

    Viktor Frankl

    3 here · 95 all-time · #32 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 100,360 ratings on Amazon
  16. 3

    The Fountainhead

    Ayn Rand

    3 here · 90 all-time · #36 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 12,667 ratings on Amazon
  17. 3

    Zero to One

    Peter Thiel, Blake Masters

    3 here · 89 all-time · #37 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 40,093 ratings on Amazon
  18. 3

    Deep Work

    Cal Newport

    3 here · 72 all-time · #46 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,713 ratings on Amazon
  19. 3

    The Dictator's Handbook

    Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith

    3 here · 29 all-time · #196 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,461 ratings on Amazon
  20. 3Pattern Recognition

    Pattern Recognition

    William Gibson

    3 here · 13 all-time · #494 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 3,192 ratings on Amazon
  21. 3Hard Drive

    Hard Drive

    James Wallace, Jim Erickson

    3 here · 8 all-time · #852 overall

  22. 3The Art of Racing in the Rain

    The Art of Racing in the Rain

    Garth Stein

    3 here · 5 all-time · #1530 overall

  23. 2

    Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas Hofstadter

    2 here · 347 all-time · #1 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 2,713 ratings on Amazon
  24. 2

    Snow Crash

    Neal Stephenson

    2 here · 119 all-time · #16 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 20,720 ratings on Amazon
  25. 2

    Cryptonomicon

    Neal Stephenson

    2 here · 106 all-time · #23 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 8,425 ratings on Amazon
  26. 2

    Ready Player One

    Ernest Cline

    2 here · 69 all-time · #52 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 155,485 ratings on Amazon
  27. 2

    Brave New World

    Aldous Huxley

    2 here · 67 all-time · #55 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 48,055 ratings on Amazon
  28. 2

    Seveneves

    Neal Stephenson

    2 here · 58 all-time · #64 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 31,865 ratings on Amazon
  29. 2

    A Guide to the Good Life

    William B. Irvine

    2 here · 53 all-time · #74 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 6,528 ratings on Amazon
  30. 2

    The Hobbit

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    2 here · 53 all-time · #75 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 82,135 ratings on Amazon
  31. 2

    The Dispossessed

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    2 here · 42 all-time · #113 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 9,037 ratings on Amazon
  32. 2

    The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

    Mark Manson

    2 here · 34 all-time · #156 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 162,044 ratings on Amazon
  33. 2

    The Baroque Cycle

    Neal Stephenson

    2 here · 32 all-time · #176 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,191 ratings on Amazon
  34. 2

    Fahrenheit 451

    Ray Bradbury

    2 here · 28 all-time · #199 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 61,227 ratings on Amazon
  35. 2Time Enough for Love

    Time Enough for Love

    Robert A. Heinlein

    2 here · 17 all-time · #373 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,709 ratings on Amazon
  36. 2The Unbearable Lightness of Being

    The Unbearable Lightness of Being

    Milan Kundera

    2 here · 15 all-time · #433 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 6,523 ratings on Amazon
  37. 2Amusing Ourselves to Death

    Amusing Ourselves to Death

    Neil Postman

    2 here · 14 all-time · #450 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 4,314 ratings on Amazon
  38. 2The First and Last Freedom

    The First and Last Freedom

    Jiddu Krishnamurti

    2 here · 11 all-time · #606 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 1,342 ratings on Amazon
  39. 2The Knowledge

    The Knowledge

    Lewis Dartnell

    2 here · 10 all-time · #650 overall

  40. 2Three Men in a Boat

    Three Men in a Boat

    Jerome K. Jerome

    2 here · 9 all-time · #757 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 7,432 ratings on Amazon
  41. 1

    How to Win Friends and Influence People

    Dale Carnegie

    1 here · 175 all-time · #8 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 106,505 ratings on Amazon
  42. 1

    Code

    Charles Petzold

    1 here · 147 all-time · #12 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,787 ratings on Amazon
  43. 1

    The Lord of the Rings

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    1 here · 114 all-time · #18 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.9 out of 5, 14,620 ratings on Amazon
  44. 1

    Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

    Richard Feynman

    1 here · 90 all-time · #35 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 13,344 ratings on Amazon
  45. 1

    Fooled by Randomness

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    1 here · 81 all-time · #41 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 6,682 ratings on Amazon
  46. 1Permutation City

    Permutation City

    Greg Egan

    1 here · 73 all-time · #45 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.2 out of 5, 2,604 ratings on Amazon
  47. 1

    The Master and Margarita

    Mikhail Bulgakov

    1 here · 67 all-time · #57 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 4,777 ratings on Amazon
  48. 1

    Peopleware

    Tom DeMarco

    1 here · 62 all-time · #59 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 1,189 ratings on Amazon
  49. 1

    Getting Things Done

    David Allen

    1 here · 62 all-time · #61 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 10,742 ratings on Amazon
  50. 1

    The Hard Thing About Hard Things

    Ben Horowitz

    1 here · 56 all-time · #67 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 15,933 ratings on Amazon
  51. 1

    Hyperion

    Dan Simmons

    1 here · 56 all-time · #69 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 30,786 ratings on Amazon
  52. 1

    The Alchemist

    Paulo Coelho

    1 here · 52 all-time · #77 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 184,313 ratings on Amazon
  53. 1

    Creativity Inc.

    Ed Catmull

    1 here · 43 all-time · #107 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 10,683 ratings on Amazon
  54. 1

    Blood Meridian

    Cormac McCarthy

    1 here · 41 all-time · #118 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.3 out of 5, 21,706 ratings on Amazon
  55. 1The Cuckoo's Egg

    The Cuckoo's Egg

    Clifford Stoll

    1 here · 39 all-time · #124 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 3,286 ratings on Amazon
  56. 1

    The Elements of Style

    William Strunk Jr.

    1 here · 38 all-time · #129 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 7,297 ratings on Amazon
  57. 1

    The 48 Laws of Power

    Robert Greene

    1 here · 36 all-time · #136 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 90,218 ratings on Amazon
  58. 1

    The Left Hand of Darkness

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    1 here · 36 all-time · #140 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 15,332 ratings on Amazon
  59. 1

    Homo Deus

    Yuval Noah Harari

    1 here · 35 all-time · #150 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 38,098 ratings on Amazon
  60. 1

    The Prince

    Niccolò Machiavelli

    1 here · 34 all-time · #152 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 8,164 ratings on Amazon
  61. 1

    The Innovator's Dilemma

    Clayton Christensen

    1 here · 30 all-time · #185 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 4,076 ratings on Amazon
  62. 1Harry Potter

    Harry Potter

    J.K. Rowling

    1 here · 30 all-time · #188 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 160,126 ratings on Amazon
  63. 1

    The Name of the Wind

    Patrick Rothfuss

    1 here · 30 all-time · #190 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 89,463 ratings on Amazon
  64. 1

    Player of Games

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 28 all-time · #202 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 11,218 ratings on Amazon
  65. 1

    House of Leaves

    Mark Z. Danielewski

    1 here · 28 all-time · #203 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 14,466 ratings on Amazon
  66. 1The Code Book

    The Code Book

    Simon Singh

    1 here · 28 all-time · #204 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 2,217 ratings on Amazon
  67. 1Rationality: From AI to Zombies

    Rationality: From AI to Zombies

    Eliezer Yudkowsky

    1 here · 24 all-time · #246 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 242 ratings on Amazon
  68. 1

    How to Design Programs

    Matthias Felleisen

    1 here · 21 all-time · #299 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 97 ratings on Amazon
  69. 1We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

    We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

    Dennis E. Taylor

    1 here · 21 all-time · #306 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 34,413 ratings on Amazon
  70. 1

    The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

    William L. Shirer

    1 here · 19 all-time · #328 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.7 out of 5, 11,382 ratings on Amazon
  71. 1

    On Writing Well

    William Zinsser

    1 here · 19 all-time · #335 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 5,858 ratings on Amazon
  72. 1Flash Boys

    Flash Boys

    Michael Lewis

    1 here · 17 all-time · #368 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 18,690 ratings on Amazon
  73. 1Use of Weapons

    Use of Weapons

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 17 all-time · #376 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 6,573 ratings on Amazon
  74. 1Excession

    Excession

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 16 all-time · #394 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 6,008 ratings on Amazon
  75. 1American Gods

    American Gods

    Neil Gaiman

    1 here · 15 all-time · #415 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 58,725 ratings on Amazon
  76. 1Types and Programming Languages

    Types and Programming Languages

    Benjamin C. Pierce

    1 here · 15 all-time · #422 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.8 out of 5, 98 ratings on Amazon
  77. 1Pride and Prejudice

    Pride and Prejudice

    Jane Austen

    1 here · 14 all-time · #447 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 39,261 ratings on Amazon
  78. 1Good Omens

    Good Omens

    Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

    1 here · 14 all-time · #464 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 37,803 ratings on Amazon
  79. 1Consider Phlebas

    Consider Phlebas

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 13 all-time · #477 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.1 out of 5, 14,019 ratings on Amazon
  80. 1The Martian Chronicles

    The Martian Chronicles

    Ray Bradbury

    1 here · 13 all-time · #486 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 8,036 ratings on Amazon
  81. 1The Story of Civilization

    The Story of Civilization

    Will Durant

    1 here · 12 all-time · #533 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 427 ratings on Amazon
  82. 1Titan

    Titan

    Ron Chernow

    1 here · 12 all-time · #536 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.6 out of 5, 4,201 ratings on Amazon
  83. 1God Emperor of Dune

    God Emperor of Dune

    Frank Herbert

    1 here · 11 all-time · #610 overall

    Buy on Amazon4.4 out of 5, 13,901 ratings on Amazon
  84. 1The Master Switch

    The Master Switch

    Tim Wu

    1 here · 10 all-time · #686 overall

  85. 1Chronicles of Amber

    Chronicles of Amber

    Roger Zelazny

    1 here · 9 all-time · #734 overall

  86. 1Contact

    Contact

    Carl Sagan

    1 here · 8 all-time · #785 overall

  87. 1The Aeneid

    The Aeneid

    Virgil

    1 here · 8 all-time · #802 overall

  88. 1History of the Peloponnesian War

    History of the Peloponnesian War

    Thucydides

    1 here · 8 all-time · #818 overall

  89. 1What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

    What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

    Haruki Murakami

    1 here · 8 all-time · #829 overall

  90. 1The Wise Man's Fear

    The Wise Man's Fear

    Patrick Rothfuss

    1 here · 8 all-time · #840 overall

  91. 1The Gift

    The Gift

    Lewis Hyde

    1 here · 8 all-time · #876 overall

  92. 1Recursion

    Recursion

    Blake Crouch

    1 here · 7 all-time · #912 overall

  93. 1Going Postal

    Going Postal

    Terry Pratchett

    1 here · 7 all-time · #919 overall

  94. 1The Dog Stars

    The Dog Stars

    Peter Heller

    1 here · 7 all-time · #920 overall

  95. 1The Doors of Perception

    The Doors of Perception

    Aldous Huxley

    1 here · 7 all-time · #927 overall

  96. 1Last and First Men

    Last and First Men

    Olaf Stapledon

    1 here · 7 all-time · #954 overall

  97. 1Big Bang

    Big Bang

    Simon Singh

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1090 overall

  98. 1I Am Not a Serial Killer

    I Am Not a Serial Killer

    Dan Wells

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1113 overall

  99. 1Surface Detail

    Surface Detail

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1199 overall

  100. 1The Summa Theologica

    The Summa Theologica

    Thomas Aquinas

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1204 overall

  101. 1The Art of Multiprocessor Programming

    The Art of Multiprocessor Programming

    Shavit & Herlihy

    1 here · 6 all-time · #1214 overall

  102. 111/22/63

    11/22/63

    Stephen King

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1246 overall

  103. 1As I Lay Dying

    As I Lay Dying

    William Faulkner

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1258 overall

  104. 1The Machine that Changed the World

    The Machine that Changed the World

    James Womack

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1301 overall

  105. 1Kill Decision

    Kill Decision

    Daniel Suarez

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1343 overall

  106. 1The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

    The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

    Claire North

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1391 overall

  107. 1Crypto

    Crypto

    Steven Levy

    1 here · 5 all-time · #1454 overall

  108. 1Farmer in the Sky

    Farmer in the Sky

    Robert A. Heinlein

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1570 overall

  109. 1The Chrysalids

    The Chrysalids

    John Wyndham

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1590 overall

  110. 1The Long Earth

    The Long Earth

    Terry Pratchett and Steve Baxter

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1593 overall

  111. 1Persuasion

    Persuasion

    Jane Austen

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1598 overall

  112. 1Honor Harrington

    Honor Harrington

    David Weber

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1607 overall

  113. 1Island

    Island

    Aldous Huxley

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1627 overall

  114. 1Hollow City

    Hollow City

    Rebecca Solnit

    1 here · 4 all-time · #1827 overall

  115. 1The Atrocity Archives

    The Atrocity Archives

    Charles Stross

    1 here · 3 all-time · #1999 overall

  116. 1Guards! Guards!

    Guards! Guards!

    Terry Pratchett

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2162 overall

  117. 1Hydrogen Sonata

    Hydrogen Sonata

    Iain M. Banks

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2250 overall

  118. 1Reinventing Organizations

    Reinventing Organizations

    Frederic Laloux

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2288 overall

  119. 1Cry, the Beloved Country

    Cry, the Beloved Country

    Alan Paton

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2370 overall

  120. 10 to 1

    0 to 1

    Peter Thiel

    1 here · 3 all-time · #2471 overall