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
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. A scientist is on a mission to save the world. The science stuff is accurate and easy to understand in my opinion (but I’m a physicist, lol).
The author also wrote the Martian, that was adapted as a movie, you probably know it.
My colleague recommends it to everyone, and she reads a lot. I read a little and also liked it. Not only because of the science, but also because of the story.
I also highly recommend the audibook
Jazz hands
I’m going to have to re-read Project Hail Mary cause I’ve seen it recommended so many times, but I personally didn’t love it. I’m big Andy Wier fan - and absolutely loved The Martian.
With PHM, it felt like there were too many situations/problems that were created and then easily solved by the narrator. Each problem was a little too outlandish to then have a convenient solution right away.
This one
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?
Not that I’m aware, but there’s almost certainly an audiobook.
Not to shill and Im not even sure they’re on Android but SpeechCentral is excellent for turning any epub/pdf into audiobooks with highlighting to read along if you like both visual and aural delivery of content.
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. I also loved Jerome but I have the biggest crush on Tony Hale so I’m probably coming at that one with a bias 😂
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.
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.
Immune by Philipp Dettmer is a very good and easily digestible book about the human immune system.
He’s also the founder of Kurzgesagt.Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
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!
It ignores a couple of important facts about Futurama to make the point is trying to make through a lens of today, though.
Ignoring the obvious “it’s a cartoon” is that the ship in Futurama moves the universe around itself rather than moving through the universe. And the other being the article limits itself to today’s technology, in general.
This is what I was thinking too based on OP’s requirements.
I love his books! You might check out Joel Achenbach too - https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Joel-Achenbach/1162553
Masters of Doom by David Kushner
Have you read 1984 yet? It’s a work of fiction, but very insightful.
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 and 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.
I think you and I have somewhat different tastes in books. Most of my favorites don’t fall under programming, tech, DIY, and science, but some do. I’ve shared some below broken into your taste and other in case you want to venture out and try something new.
Programming, Tech, DIY, & Science
One, Two, Three…Infinity by George Gamov
- An actual science book that fits with your interests! It’s a book that covers major theories/areas of physical science and math in an interesting way that a layperson can understand it. I learned more from this book that any formal training on the matter. The book starts off with defining counting and infinity.
Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews
- Provides education on weightlifting, from learning to design your own workouts & schedules to weightlifting diets. He goes into why certain workouts and diets work based on science. I have followed the recommendations in this book multiple times (separate episodes), and found them to be quite effective.
Other
Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone by Eduardo Galeano
- A book that covers the history of humanity with a sense of social justice and poetic style. It’s written in short poems rooted in actual history, but presents a perspective that is not typical of the common narrative.
A Field Guide to Earthlings by Ian Ford
- This is a guide written by an autistic person for autistic people on understanding the neurotypical world. The premise is that autistic and neurotypical people are quite different from each other, to the point that they see each other as aliens. Because of this, it hits the reader differently depending on their neurotype. If the reader is autistic, it helps them understand the world and their social difficulties better. If the reader is neurotypical, I would imagine it’s an interesting perspective on human behavior, almost like reading a report on human behavior written by an alien.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- This book is like a mental reset to me. It uses the innocence of a child to break down silly and unhelpful social matters to remind us what’s universally important.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- A fun science-fiction that, according to me, it’s main appeal is the style of writing. The author tells the story in a unique way that makes me laugh because it kind of says things in a way we think but rarely share with each other.
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
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky could be up your alley. One of the best books I’ve read in recent memory
Maybe you would enjoy “Every tool’s a hammer” by Adam Savage.
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.
Bit late to this, but you might enjoy The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton - later turned into a great movie and a TV show I’ve not seen so can’t comment on. It’s about scientists dealing with something dangerous brought back from space.
