Hii, I am trying to get into reading books but don’t know what to read. I like programming, tech, DIY stuff and science and would love to read about it.
Which book should I read that is not overwhelming for a begginer like me?
Edit: Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions :)
Books
- 1984
- The Disappearing Spoon
- The Tetris Effect
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
- Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!
- Immune
- The Murderbot Diaries
- Children of Time
- Neuromancer
- Bobyverse Series
- Project Hail Mary
Authors
- Mary Roach
- Marthe Wells
Martha Wells and her Murderbot series is hilarious. It really made me laugh out loud and I read every book back to back.
It’s about a robot that thinks he’s a psychopath and a murderer, who hacked his own circuits so he can pirate TV shows and watch them while on missions.
I won’t tell more, just read.
I think Murderbot is specifically genderless. But yes, excellent read. Audio book adaptations are also excellent if you prefer to listen.
“The Disappearing Spoon” by Sam Kean goes through the entire periodic table with fun and often very funny vignettes about each of the elements.
Hate to ask this but is there a video series or version of this?
There are some book/literature focused instances that might have communities you could be interested in.
A general “books” instance: https://literature.cafe/
And the instance I’m on (https://sffa.community) for science fiction/fantasy stuff
Series of Unfortunate Events is hilarious and digestable.
Also has one of the better TV adaptations
Incredible, actually always wished for it and was disappointed that the movie adaptation only encapsulated the first 3 books.
Although nobody plays Count Olaf better than Jim Carrey in my respectful view. NPH was incredible but I’m partial to Carrey’s portrayal. That scene with him “gently letting Meryl Streep go quietly into the sad night/lake to join the the human-eating carnivorous leeches and her late husband” was so fucking sadistic and yet comedically beyond compare. Chef’s kiss, I love her just for her portrayal of Aunt Josephine, I literally cannot imagine anyone else/better for the role.
Top shelf casting!
Edit: it would be darkly humorous if Streep made the same ulimatum to the Unfortunate Events showrunner or director or whatever about only doing the scene once like when she has to make Sophie’s (impossible) Choice in that namesake film due to the emotional turmoil she purported to experience in the method acting/nature aspect of her performance in such an emotionally outrageous dilemma but in this case because of the sheer lunacy/dark humor of the situation
The casting for the movie was incredible, they really set themselves up for a great trilogy and it’s a shame there was only one movie. The show is a magnificent achievement in tone and design but some of the casting choices left a bit to be desired. Off the top of my head I wasn’t too fond of Sir, Josephine, or Nero. But gotta give them some credit, Jacques and Esme in particular were perfect imo.
Nah Aunt Josephine was perfect, I would equate her casting to like Daniel Radcliffe as fucking Harry Potter even though Josephine is a far more minute character even in the book but also in the grand scheme of things
Edit: also, now that I think about it, I feel like the movie was purposelly or at least played out in the continuity of its real life journey to Netflix development/syndication as like more of an apératif to get people interested in what was (at the time) a popular but still sorta niche tome of a series with like the weirdest humor that’s accessible to not unsharp children
I agree that Meryl Streep was absolutely perfect, as she always is. I was speaking on the casting for the TV show. I didn’t hate her or anything I just thought she coulda been better
I encourage folks to power thru the books tho. Both experiences are distinct and idiosyncratically amazing, but obv its more work to work through the physical books.
Oh yeah, books first then the Netflix series afterwards. I think the show does a lot to expand the world of the books while not compromising its overall story and message. But you gotta read the books first.
We are talking non fiction here?
Yes, though I don’t mind finction books too :)
I don’t really read much non-fiction, but if you want something entertaining and kinda sciencey look at the books “What if” and “How to” by the XKCD comic’s author: https://what-if.xkcd.com/
Wow that’s interesting!
This is what I was thinking too based on OP’s requirements.
Have you read 1984 yet? It’s a work of fiction, but very insightful.
Masters of Doom by David Kushner
Bobiverse series, if you like programming and science you’ll love it.
I came here to recommend this book series. Very fun, compelling, and breaks down complex ideas into smaller digestible plot devices that actually mean something later in the series.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky could be up your alley. One of the best books I’ve read in recent memory
Neuromancer by William Gibson, it’s a great book that is easy to follow, well written, and extremely fun.
A great book but I don’t know if I’d recommend it as a “get into reading” book.
What makes you hesitant? I certainly wouldn’t recommend something like Snowcrash… but Neuromancer is exceedingly well written and concise.
Huh, I’d go the opposite way.
I think because there’s more for the reader to infer in Neuromancer, and getting those inferences affects enjoyment.
Snow Crash is a bunch of episodes that add up to a story andv even if your mind wandered for a few pages in the middle you’ll still be entertained by what’s on the page, and be able to follow the ending.
Interesting, I see the logic in what you’re saying but I generally find it harder to carry through seemingly unrelated stories to a final conclusion. So I found Seveneves extremely readable but Cryptonomicon completely befuddled me.
Nonfiction oldies that still hold up: The Cuckoo’s Egg by Clifford Stoll and The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder.
Soul of a New Machine is a classic.
Id add Hackers by Steven Levy and Cryptonomicon/Snow Crash by Stephenson
The Tetris Effect by Dan Ackerman is a lot of fun, a pretty breezy read, and is fairly unbelievable for how true the story is. It involves (in varying amounts) programming, science, and DIY, mostly from an early-80s perspective (since a lot of it is about the development of the game), plus some corporate espionage and Soviet meddling.
Immune by Philipp Dettmer is a very good and easily digestible book about the human immune system.
He’s also the founder of Kurzgesagt.I think any of the books Mary Roach would suit you. They are easy to read, yet are brimming with science explained in a fascinating and unintimidating way.
Her book Stiff is prolly my favorite. It explains what happens to the body starting with death, and covers medical, forensic, and funerary subjects (among others). Fascinating.
Here is a decision tree for NPR’s best scifi/fantasy books. I just started crossing these out with the phone’s image editor when I finish one.
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. It’s a bit coming-of-age but it’s lite, interesting, tech sci-fi.
Only other i read that is close is the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov.
AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee.
If black mirror was a book this would be it. It blends the current and upcoming AI/tech trends with sci-fi that allows you to explore different worlds and give you perspective on how they can really affect us. There is an analysis at the end of each story and explainds the tech used and where we are in terms of achieving that tech.
Good luck on your reading journey!
