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Ask HN: What are you reading?

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

We need to summarize the 4 most prevalent themes of opinions expressed in this Hacker News discussion.

We have a long list of users sharing what they're reading, with comments about books, preferences, etc. The discussion is an "Ask HN: What are you reading?" thread. The themes likely include: love for specific genres (fantasy/sci-fi), appreciation for worldbuilding, interest in classic literature, desire for deep/meaty books, recommendations of non-fiction, skepticism about certain books, mention of reading for practical reasons (like time-saving), and maybe mention of difficulty finishing long books.

We need to pick the 4 most prevalent themes, present them concisely, include direct quotations with author attribution, using double quotes. Fix HTML entities (so replace & etc, but the text seems clean). Output markdown. Keep overall summary short.

We need to identify prevalent themes from the discussion.

Let's scan the comments for recurring ideas:

  • Many people mention enjoying Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series and worldbuilding (softwaredoug, leros, hosel, ky-hy, fosco). Also mention of "The Stormlight Archive"? Not directly but Mistborn.

  • Many mention classic literature: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, The Bible, Gibran, etc. Also mention of reading for depth/meaty: "meaty" appears multiple times: lc: "I'm looking for something a little meaty to keep the brain working..." (lucb1e). Also "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks". Also "meaty" used by fok? Not sure.

  • Many mention non-fiction recommendations: "The Selfish Gene", "Information and Meaning in Evolutionary Processes", "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism", "The Dawn of Everything", "Small Is Beautiful", "Tools for Conviviality", "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", "The Power Broker", "Recoding America", etc.

  • Many mention difficulty finishing long books: buckhx on Infinite Jest length, desbo took a year, jppope mentions Grapes of Wrath as Everest, etc. Also mention of not finishing due to pacing: sanswork on Wheel of Time pacing, zem on pacing issues.

  • Many mention reading for practical/time-saving: tocs3 about reading Wikipedia plot reviews instead of watching movies, reading Bible to get sense, reading LRB to avoid whole book.

  • Many mention series recommendations: Dungeon Crawler Carl (many), The Expanse, Hyperion, etc.

  • Many mention enjoying humor/fun: Dungeon Crawler Carl comedic, Discworld, etc.

  • Many mention reading for learning: e.g., reading about economics, history, science.

  • Many mention reading for personal growth: e.g., "Man's Search for Meaning", "The Road", etc.

We need to pick four most prevalent.

Let's count approximate occurrences:

Theme 1: Praise for worldbuilding and immersive fantasy/sci-fi (Sanderson, Mistborn, Cosmere, Dungeon Crawler Carl, etc.)

Theme 2: Appreciation for classic/literary/meaty books (Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, The Bible, Gibran, East of Eden, Lonesome Dove, etc.) plus desire for "meaty" content.

Theme 3: Recommendations of non-fiction, especially science, history, philosophy, economics (Selfish Gene, Dawkins, Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Dawn of Everything, etc.)

Theme 4: Struggles with length/pacing/difficulty finishing long books (Infinite Jest, Wheel of Time, Grapes of Wrath, etc.)

Alternatively, theme about reading for time-saving/practical consumption (like reading summaries) but less frequent.

Let's see if any other theme appears more: Many mention specific series they're reading (Dungeon Crawler Carl appears many times). That could be a theme: enjoyment of humorous, accessible series. But that may overlap with worldbuilding/fantasy.

We need to pick four that are most prevalent. Let's scan again quickly:

  • Sanderson/Mistborn: softwaredoug, leros, hosel, ky-hy, fosco (5)
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl: mindcrime, godshatter, rocketpastsix, bix6, imperialdrive, sanswork (maybe more) (6)
  • Wheel of Time: nonethewiser, sanswork, zem, delichon, aditya_rs, mcmcmc, mysterydip? (several)
  • Infinite Jest: buckhx, desbo, jerkstate, haroldp, stevenwoo, louwrentius? (several)

  • Classic literature: tocs3 (Bible), zero_shift (Bible), jppope (Grapes of Wrath), theflyinghorse (Brother Karamazov), chistev (Crime and Punishment), hwc (Backpacking trip with...?), snovymgodym (modern translation), rearview (Reacher), abstash (Shadow Lines), lp92 (X-48), no-dr-onboard (Intellectual Life), undopamine (Quantum Break), electroweak (Decline and Fall), sim04ful (Butler's Homer), chistev (list includes many classics), quuxplusone (Frankenstein, Iliad, etc.), dcminter (GPP), pringk02 (2666), PyWoody (Shakespeare), NishanStepak (VC American History), DamnInteresting (Ana and Din series), latortuga (Exit Party), jcubic (Philosophy of Software Design), p4ul (same), tobadzistsini (Heaven and Earth Grocery Store), dang (past examples), etc. Many.

  • Non-fiction: AbbeFaria (Selfish Gene), chistev (list includes many non-fiction), aerodexis (criticism of Dawkins), drivers99 (Extended Phenotype), Rendello (Inventing the Renaissance), judicious (Blank Space), akkartik (lots of scifi and fantasy but also non-fiction?), buckhx (Infinite Jest is fiction), desbo (Pale King), theflyinghorse (Brother Karamazov fiction), chistev (non-fiction list includes many), ex-aws-dude (Gödel, Escher, Bach), pyyxbkshed (Dark Profit Saga), coldstartops (Grimgar), delichon (You've Been Pooping All Wrong), jihadjihad (kiwi), rancar2 (kiwi study), pjmorris (Restricted Data), adamcharnock (Vinge books), largePanda9 (Children of Time), askvictor (technical system for writing), pelican0 (blabber), dcminter (Blind Corner), almost_usual (Power, Sex, Suicide), sho_hn (The Vital Question), axus (Pale), paulorlando (Ask the Fellows Who Cut the Hay), godzillafarts (Murderbot Diaries), losvedir (Hyperion Cantos), dcminter (again), jrop (General Systems Thinking), jldugger (Flaw of Averages), DazWilkin (Spiral Wars), phugoid (Value(s)), neverkn0wsb357 (Small Is Beautiful, Tools for Conviviality, Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows), askvictor (Dawn of Everything), fk_fk (A man in the Maze), ItsMattyG (litrpg), 28304283409234 (Escape from Capitalism), danielheath (Radiant Star), zem (Keeper of Tales), mcv (Culture novels), amadeoeoeo (Correction), jeanpah (Neuromancer trilogy), dcminter (again), ElCapitanMarkla (Harry Potter audiobooks), Endurance, herpdyderp (reading code?), nottorp (Arkady Martine), checkyoursudo (The Nerd Reich), tantalor (The Cuckoo's Egg), n1ivih (such a good one), rdoherty (Seeing Like a State, Normal Accidents, Managing the Unexpected), andy_ppp (LLM output), bityard (Airframe), GaryBluto (short SF stories), tonymet (Manhattan Project books), pykello (Foundations of Analysis, On Writing Well), gorgoiler (Feynman QED, One Good Turn, Impossibility), mkovach (J.L. Austin), asphodele (The Outsider), spudlyo (A Passage to India, Lindsey Davis Falco series), david927 (Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita), atlasunshrugged (Purge), loganfrederick (Determined), stevenwoo (On the Origin of Sex, How to Make an Apple Pie), bcrosby95 (City of Stairs), azaras (EVO - Padres), apt-apt-apt-apt (reading tons of Claude), kurttheviking (various recommendations).

Thus non-fiction appears very prevalent.

Theme of wanting "meaty" books appears: lucb1e says "I'm looking for something a little meaty to keep the brain working..."; also maybe others mention "meaty". Also "meaty" used by fok? Not sure. But it's a recurring concept.

Theme of difficulty finishing long books: buckhx (Infinite Jest length), desbo (took a year), jppope (Grapes of Wrath as Everest), snovymgodym (maybe?), etc.

Theme of reading for time-saving/practical consumption: tocs3 (reading Wikipedia plot reviews instead of movies, reading Bible to get sense), maybe also tocs3 about LRB.

Theme of series love: many mention series they are following.

Which four are most prevalent? Let's try to quantify by counting distinct users mentioning each theme.

I'll do a rough count:

Worldbuilding/fantasy/sci-fi praise: users: softwaredoug, leros, hosel, ky-hy, fosco, mindcrime (DCC), godshatter, rocketpastsix, bix6, imperialdrive, sanswork (DCC), nonethewiser (Wheel of Time), zem (Wheel of Time), delichon (Wheel of Time?), aditya_rs (Wheel of Time?), mcmcmc (Wheel of Time?), mysterydip (Understanding Comics), jppope (maybe not), chistev (list includes sci-fi/fantasy), quuxplusone (Iliad, Hitchhiker's), PyWoody (Shakespeare), latortuga (Expanse, etc.), jcubic (Philosophy of Software Design - not exactly fantasy), p4ul (same), tobadzistsini (Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - maybe not), dang (past examples), etc. Many.

Classic/literary/meaty: users: tocs3 (Bible), zero_shift (Bible), jppope (Grapes of Wrath), theflyinghorse (Brother Karamazov), chistev (Crime and Punishment, etc.), hwc (Backpacking trip with... maybe not), snovymgodym (modern translation of Dostoevsky?), rearview (Reacher - not classic?), abstash (Shadow Lines - modern?), lp92 (X-48 - not), no-dr-onboard (Intellectual Life - not), undopamine (Quantum Break - not), electroweak (Decline and Fall - classic), sim04ful (Butler's Homer - classic), chistev (list includes many classics), quuxplusone (Frankenstein, etc.), dcminter (GPP - not classic?), pringk02 (2666 - literary), PyWoody (Shakespeare - classic), NishanStepak (VC American History - not classic?), DamnInteresting (Ana and Din series - not), latortuga (Exit Party - not), jcubic (Philosophy of Software Design - not), p4ul (same), tobadzistsini (Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - not), dang (past examples - maybe not), etc. So many.

Non-fiction: many as above.

Difficulty finishing long books: buckhx (Infinite Jest), desbo (took a year for Infinite Jest?), jppope (Grapes of Wrath as Everest), jerkstate (listened to Infinite Jest twice), haroldp (audiobook Infinite Jest challenge), stevenwoo (audiobook version), louwrentius (maybe not), etc. Also sanswork (Wheel of Time pacing), zem (Wheel of Time pacing issues), delichon (maybe), aditya_rs (maybe), mcmcmc (maybe). Also maybe others mention not finishing due to length.

Time-saving/practical consumption: tocs3 (reading Wikipedia plot reviews, reading Bible to get sense), maybe also tocs3 about LRB, maybe also others mention reading for practical reasons (like reading for work). Not many.

Series love: many mention series they are reading: Dungeon Crawler Carl (many), Wheel of Time (several), Mistborn/Cosmere (several), Expanse (latortuga), Hyperion (losvedir, jrop?), etc.

Which four themes are most prevalent? Likely:

  1. Enthusiasm for immersive worldbuilding in fantasy/sci-fi (Sanderson, Mistborn, Cosmere, Dungeon Crawler Carl, etc.)

  2. Appreciation for classic/literary/meaty works (Bible, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gibran, etc.)

  3. Strong interest in non-fiction recommendations (science, history, philosophy, economics)

  4. Struggles with length/pacing/difficulty finishing long books (Infinite Jest, Wheel of Time, Grapes of Wrath)

We need to present these themes concisely, with direct quotations.

We need to quote directly from users when crediting them, with double quotes.

We need to fix HTML entities (none apparent). Output markdown.

We need to keep overall summary short and focused on these 4 themes.

Thus produce something like:

Theme 1: Love for immersive worldbuilding in fantasy/sci-fi
- Quote: softwaredoug: “I like how he has the slow, almost clinical way of revealing interesting worlds and systems.”
- Quote: leros: “He's annoyed by it too. ... He just wants to show allomancers doing cool stuff.” (maybe not needed)
But we need to include quotations for each theme, maybe one or two per theme.

We must include direct quotations with author attribution.

We need to present 4 themes, each with a brief description and a quote.

Let's craft.

We'll need to pick quotes that illustrate each theme.

Theme 1 (Worldbuilding/fantasy): quote from softwaredoug: “I like how he has the slow, almost clinical way of revealing interesting worlds and systems.” (about Mistborn). Also maybe from ky-hy: “Warbreaker was amazing, I still think about it, a week after finishing, about the characters and how much fun I had while reading it.” But we need to keep short.

Theme 2 (Classic/literary/meaty): quote from lucb1e: “I'm looking for something a little meaty to keep the brain working...”. Also maybe from tocs3: “I do not watch movies much anymore. Sometime though I want to know what a movie is all about. So, I just read the wikipedia plot review on it.” That's more about time-saving, not classic. Better: from jppope: “Grapes of Wrath is my Everest. I've started it ~7 times and never made it past 120 pages.” That's about difficulty, but also classic. Or from theflyinghorse: “Finally got to Dostoevsky's Brother Karamazov. This will take a while.” That shows classic.

Theme 3 (Non-fiction): quote from AbbeFaria: “The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins”. Also maybe from chistev list: “The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris”. Or from pjmorris: “'Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States', Alex Wellerstein.” We'll pick one.

Theme 4 (Difficulty finishing): quote from buckhx: “Infinite Jest. Enjoying it so far, but the length keeps on killing me. I'm like 5% of the way in after a couple of weeks...”. Also from desbo: “Took me a year. Loved it! Planning to go back when I have the energy.” Or from jppope: “Grapes of Wrath is my Everest. I've started it ~7 times and never made it past 120 pages.” We'll pick one.

We need to include author attribution in quotes.

We'll output markdown with headings maybe.

Let's produce:

1. Enthusiasm for immersive worldbuilding in fantasy/sci-fi

“I like how he has the slow, almost clinical way of revealing interesting worlds and systems.” – softwaredoug on Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn.

2. Appreciation for classic/literary/meaty works

“I'm looking for something a little meaty to keep the brain working…” – lucb1e seeking substantial reads.

3. Strong interest in non‑fiction recommendations

“The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins” – AbbeFaria (a frequently cited title).

4. Struggles with length/pacing/difficulty finishing long books

“Infinite Jest. Enjoying it so far, but the length keeps on killing me. I'm like 5% of the way in after a couple of weeks…” – buckhx.

We need to ensure we quote directly, with double quotes. Also fix HTML entities (none). Provide short summary.

We should keep overall summary short. This is fine.

Make sure each quote is exactly as in text, preserving punctuation. Let's verify quotes:

softwaredoug: “I like how he has the slow, almost clinical way of revealing interesting worlds and systems.” In text: “I like how he has the slow, almost clinical way of revealing interesting worlds and systems. It’s not the kind of book that’ll make me cry, but I really like world building with fun enough characters

🚀 Project Ideas

BookLit: Spoiler‑Free Plot & Theme Snapshots

Summary

  • Provides concise, editorially curated summaries that capture plot, tone, and major themes without giving away twists.
  • Helps readers decide whether a book or movie is worth their time, addressing the “just want to know what it’s about” need.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Casual readers, movie watchers, students
Core Feature Searchable database of 500‑word spoiler‑free snapshots with theme tags
Tech Stack React frontend, Node.js/Express backend, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch for search
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: Subscription $4/mo for premium tags & ad‑free

Notes

  • HN users mentioned using Wikipedia plot reviews to avoid tedium (tocs3) – BookLit offers a higher‑quality, community‑vetted alternative.
  • Enables quick discovery and discussion, potentially spawning HN threads about new books.

BibleCompare: Side‑by‑Side Translation Explorer

Summary

  • Lets users view any Bible verse in multiple translations simultaneously (KJV, modern, literal) with optional lexical notes.
  • Addresses frustration over translation nuances and the desire for a scholarly/literal version (zero_shift, throwaway093020).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Bible readers, theologians, language enthusiasts
Core Feature Parallel pane view with toggleable translations and inline Hebrew/Greek glosses
Tech Stack Vue.js, Python Flask API, SQLite, Open‑Source Bible APIs (e.g., API.Bible)
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Commenters praised the KJV for literalness but wanted modern references; BibleCompare gives both in one view (throwaway093020, zero_shift).
  • Provides a concrete tool for the frequent HN debates about translation quality.

LongRead Navigator: Guided Reading for Dense Works

Summary

  • Offers structured reading guides, community annotations, and difficulty‑adjusted pacing for notoriously long books (Infinite Jest, Gravity’s Rainbow, etc.).
  • Solves the pain of getting stuck or abandoning massive tomes (multiple users citing Infinite Jest struggles).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Avid readers tackling challenging literature
Core Feature Chapter‑by‑chapter summary, reader‑generated annotations, and optional reading schedule
Tech Stack SvelteKit, Firebase (Firestore + Auth), Markdown‑based annotation store
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue‑ready: One‑time $15 guide purchase per title

Notes

  • Users described Infinite Jest as “a long haul” and wished for better navigation (jerkstate, cobolexpert) – LongRead Navigator supplies community‑driven maps.
  • Encourages discussion and shared interpretation, generating HN‑style conversation around each guide.

BookMatch: Deep‑Fit Recommendation Engine

Summary

  • Recommends books based on semantic similarity of themes, writing style, and reader‑provided tags rather than just genre or popularity.
  • Meets the desire to find “more like this” after enjoying a specific title (many users asking for similar recommendations).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Readers seeking personalized discovery
Core Feature Vector‑search over book embeddings (title, description, user tags) with explainable similarity scores
Tech Stack Python (Sentence‑Transformers), FAISS vector index, FastAPI, React UI
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: Affiliate fees + optional premium API $9/mo

Notes

  • Commenters often asked for books similar to ones they loved (e.g., “If you liked The Selfish Gene…”) – BookMatch automates that with nuance.
  • Transparency in why a match is suggested invites discussion and trust.

ReadingTrack: Smart Retention & Spaced‑Repetition for Books

Summary

  • Lets users highlight passages, create flashcards, and schedule spaced‑repetition reviews to retain key ideas from non‑fiction and dense fiction.
  • Addresses the common complaint of forgetting what was read after finishing a book (several users noting they “don’t retain” content).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Students, professionals, lifelong learners
Core Feature Highlight‑to‑flashcard conversion, SM‑2 algorithm, integration with Kindle/Readwise via API
Tech Stack React Native (mobile), Node.js backend, Redis for scheduling, MongoDB
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Users talked about wanting to retain insights from books like “The Power Broker” or “Neuroscience” – ReadingTurn helps cement those ideas.
  • Encourages sharing of flashcard decks, fostering community learning threads.

PublicDomain Enhancer: Annotated Classic Reader

Summary

  • Provides beautifully formatted public‑domain works with layered annotations (historical context, translation variants, reader comments).
  • Targets readers who want richer experiences without paying for pricey annotated editions (many users citing classics and desire for better formatting).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Literature lovers, students, casual readers of classics
Core Feature EPUB/Web viewer with toggleable annotation layers (literary, historical, translation)
Tech Stack Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, React, IIIF image server for scanned pages
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: Donations + optional “studio” annotation packs $5/mo

Notes

  • Several commenters mentioned reading classics (e.g., Middlemarch, East of Eden) and wishing for better notes or translation help.
  • Enables collaborative annotation, sparking HN discussions about interpretation.

ScholarlySnippets: Contextual Commentary On‑Demand

Summary

  • Extracts and displays scholarly commentary, footnotes, and cross‑references for specific passages on request (e.g., for Knuth’s “3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated” or dense philosophical texts).
  • Solves the frustration of needing expert insight without hunting through separate commentaries.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Researchers, serious readers, hobby scholars
Core Feature Passage lookup → side‑panel of curated academic notes, DOI links, and community votes
Tech Stack Django REST API, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch for snippet search, React frontend
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue‑ready: Institutional licenses $200/yr + free tier

Notes

  • Users cited wanting to read Knuth’s work and needing guidance on complex references (haensi, andsoitis) – ScholarlySnippets gives instant expert context.
  • Promotes deeper discussion as users can share specific snippet links.

Audiobook Finder: Free/Libre Audiobook Aggregator

Summary

  • Indexes freely available audiobooks (LibriVox, Internet Archive, etc.) with search by title, author, duration, and user ratings.
  • Addresses the desire to listen to books while avoiding costly subscriptions (multiple users mentioning audiobook preferences).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Commuters, multitaskers, visually impaired readers
Core Feature Unified catalog with playback, speed control, and sleep timer
Tech Stack Elixir Phoenix, PostgreSQL, React, HLS streaming
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Commenters praised audiobooks for series like Dungeon Crawler Carl and wished for easier discovery (mindcrime, rocketpastsix) – Audiobook Finder solves that.
  • Encourages sharing of lesser‑known free titles, generating HN threads.

BookClub Hub: Sync‑Read & Discuss Platform

Summary

  • Facilitates virtual book clubs: synchronized reading calendars, discussion prompts, integrated video chat, and persistent meeting notes.
  • Meets the need for communal reading experiences and deeper conversation (users often mention wanting to discuss books but lacking structure).

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Book clubs, remote friends, online communities
Core Feature Club creation, reading schedule automation, prompt generator, Jitsi video embed
Tech Stack Meteor (full‑stack React), MongoDB, WebRTC (Jitsi)
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue‑ready: $6/mo per club for premium prompts & analytics

Notes

  • HN commenters regularly form impromptu reading groups (e.g., around “The Selfish Gene” or “Infinite Jest”) – BookClub Hub gives them a home.
  • Persistent discussion logs become valuable reference material, driving ongoing conversation.

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