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What notable people are reading right now
Newest first. Every entry is something a named person said in public, quoted verbatim, with a link to the post or page it came from. Nothing here is inferred from a vibe, and nothing is paraphrased. Most recent: 4 Sep 2026.
Modern Principles of Economics by Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok
Modern Principles of Economics is best principles of economics textbook; great videos, clear writing and excellent applications and examples!
on marginalrevolution.com · 4 Sep 2026
ActivityPub by Evan Prodromou
Evan Prodromou has the unenviable task of making the whole ecosystem easy to understand. Thankfully he does that well. Things are logically laid out, there are comprehensive descriptions of even the most obscure parts of the spec, and it builds up nicely from the fundamentals.
on shkspr.mobi · 1 Sep 2026
The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict, and Warnings from History by Odd Arne Westad
It is a quick read, an excellent book whose main virtue is not, in my opinion, direct analogy with the World War I, but a treatment of how in a multipolar world relatively small international events, misunderstandings, idiosyncratic fits of leaders, “hubris and fear” (as Westad often writes), resentment of the elite and of the public prodded by the media, can produce colossal miscalculations which then produce even more colossal wars and, in the era of the weapons of mass destruction, may end the civilization.
on branko2f7.substack.com · 31 Aug 2026
The Complex PTSD Treatment Manual by Arielle Schwartz
Have you grabbed the free worksheets from my Complex PTSD Treatment Manual yet?
on X · 28 Aug 2026
Deep Learning with Python by François Chollet
If you're 17 (or any age) and you want to learn to build LLMs from scratch, read chapters 15-16 of Deep Learning with Python
on X · 24 Aug 2026
Enlightenment 2.0 by Joseph Heath
In my 2015 post discussing Joseph Heath’s excellent book Enlightenment 2.0
on marginalrevolution.com · 23 Aug 2026
Modern Times by Paul Johnson
I’ve loved it since I was a teenager, but professional historians typically rolled their eyes in disdain when I mentioned it.
on betonit.ai · 19 Aug 2026
THEFT! A History of Music by James Boyle, Jennifer Jenkins and Keith Aoki
These examples are liberally illustrated with links to musical excerpts that bring the subject to life (these are presented as hotlinks in the ebook; if you're reading the print edition, you can use the book's companion website:) https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/musiccopyright/ Interspersed with these histories and analysis are lengthy, extremely on-point excerpts from THEFT!
on pluralistic.net · 17 Aug 2026
The Open Copyright Casebook by Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle
Jenkins' flair for legal communications carries over to her scholarly work, of course, which is why her Open Copyright Casebook is a standard text for American law schools:
on pluralistic.net · 17 Aug 2026
Music Copyright, Creativity, and Culture by Jennifer Jenkins
Jenkins understands it, though. I've been reading, writing, and debating about this stuff since the late 1990s, and I learned something new on every page of this delightful book.
on pluralistic.net · 17 Aug 2026
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
Having an interest in genetics and molecular biology, I was completely enchanted by the narrative.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
Back in high school this book had changed the way I perceive reality and science fiction.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Dune by Frank Herbert
No way around it — Dune is probably the best science fiction I’ve ever read.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
One of the top 3 books in my life.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem by Simon Singh
The book that sparked my interest in discrete math and abstract algebra. Other books by Simon Singh are also fantastic.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Introduction to Algorithms by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein
Spent endless hours digging through The Book. It’s very well written and organized and was a tremendous help in my CS studies.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Talking about quantum physics and singularity is hard. This book makes it seem easy. Loved it.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
Must read not only for designers, but for software developers too, even if you develop backend exclusively. I wish everybody read it really.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene
String theory for the masses. This is how popular science books should be like: interesting, enchanting, inviting.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman
Feynman was a Teacher. This book is as fantastic as the man himself.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Of course, you can’t not read The Lean Startup if you… actually, in any case! Do read it!
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works by Ash Maurya
I prefer and recommend this over the canonical "Lean Startup"
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Martian by Andy Weir
When an engineer or a scientist decides to write science fiction, it’s usually either very bad or very good. This one is very good.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
One of the best sci-fi and deep space opera books for me. If you love space and scientifically ~accurate fiction — do explore Alastair Reynolds’ worlds.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Loved it! Geeky, nostalgic, lots of action and lots of cool ideas. The pace is great, and it’s hard to pull off in a book this large.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Absolutely brilliant!
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
One of the best and definitely the scariest space opera. The universe Dan Simmons had created is enchanting.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Code by Charles Petzold
Woah, what a ride! An excellent explanation of how computers work, starting from scratch. Really, from scratch.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris
Good, concise and straight-forward exploration of spirituality. Loved it.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana
One of the best books on mindfulness. No frills, no BS, straight to the point. I guess, if you could pick one book in the topic, I’d go for this one.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Out of Your Mind: Essential Listening from the Alan Watts Audio Archives by Alan Watts
Words are tools to hide truth. I can’t say much about these recordings and books by Alan Watts. It wouldn’t be fair to do so.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
You're It! On Hiding, Seeking, and Being Found by Alan Watts
Love it. Can’t get enough. The series of lectures by Alan Watts did shape a lot of my life.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Just So: An Odyssey Into the Cosmic Web of Connection, Play, and True Pleasure by Alan Watts
One of the best things I had the pleasure to listen to.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper on Computability and the Turing Machine by Charles Petzold
I guess you can’t go wrong with Charles Petzold. This book is excellent and highly recommended to anyone interested in computing. Must read for computer science students and software developers.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr., E.B. White
I wish everybody read this book. The surprising thing is that many aspects and recommendations apply to virtually any language, not specifically English.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
It’s a great book. I wish it was shorter though.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky
What a great book! A lot of interesting research and anecdotal data. Changes your perception of human behavior quite a bit. There’s also an audio version narrated by the author. And a series of free Stanford lectures available on Youtube.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
It’s one of those things that make perfect sense once you think about it. Great book, very important premise and a short and concise explanation. Can’t recommend enough.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts
Can’t go wrong with Alan Watts.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull
I didn’t expect it to be this interesting and insightful. Great book. Recommended to anyone in the creative and managerial industry.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Endymion by Dan Simmons
It’s one of those books that I actually hope won’t be made into a movie any time soon, since it’s so good and the universe is so humongous, I can’t imagine a non-disappointing movie adaptation. (another one of those is the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny). Endymion is 3rd in the Hyperion Cantos, and because the story is so much further in time from the original 2 parts of Hyperion,…
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons
Oh. My. God. This is the fourth book in the Hyperion Cantos series and it’s as deep, as engaging, as colorful and as majestic as the first three. As of 2018, this series is my favorite fiction book.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Wandering Earth by Liu Cixin
Short sci-fi stories that bring me back into the magic state of limitless exploration and childhood wonder.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Clojure for the Brave and True by Daniel Higginbotham
One of the best programming books I’ve read, and the best one about Clojure. The only issue I have with books like that is the nature of examples and exercises: they never have anything to do with the reality. This feels natural to a playful and fun book, but still, I would’ve loved something more realistic and maybe practical than hobbit vampires battle systems. Oh, and it has a good chapter o…
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds
Two wonderful novellas, filled with the spirit of adventurous and mysterious science fiction. Turquoise Days is my favorite.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
How to Design Programs: An Introduction to Programming and Computing by Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Matthew Flatt
Solid, comprehensive introduction to programming. I’m not sure I’d recommend this book freely, since I’d need to know a little bit about the person first. This is not for everybody, just like SICP (even more so). I think HTDP’s primary use case is being a textbook with a good, passionate teacher. If only CS departments could replace useless "software engineering" and "Java OOP" courses with a m…
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
If I could incorporate 10% of the ideas and recommendations from this book, I’d be 400% happier about my writing. Read this book if you write anything, even if it’s limited to twitter. If you blog, then there’s no excuse not to pick this up and always have it on your desk.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Wonderful, delightful, warm and intimate read. Even though I’m not a fan of the writing style often used in this book, I can honestly appreciate its simplicity, clarity and robustness. It’s a no-nonsense, straight writing guide with a person’s face.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil is great, as always. Entertaining and inspiring overview of astrophysics. His audiobook version is fantastic, too.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
A very well written bird’s eye view of the humanity landscape. Empathetic and neutral at the same time. I want to Yuval’s other books now.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
Re-reading this for the Nth time. One of my all time science fiction favorites. It’s pretty simple, compared to some mind-bending scifi of modern time, but hell, the story, the flow, the scale, it’s just great. I’m actually not a fan of Asimov, couldn’t ever finish any of the Foundation books. So, if you had tried Asimov and it didn’t stick, try "The End of Eternity".
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
I really enjoyed the book, but have to admit, it’s mostly preaching to the choir. Regardless, it’s a very well written and easy to read book which manages to incorporate stories and anecdotes into serious discussions in a non-obnoxious way.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime by Sean Carroll
Sean Carrol, a physicist, wonderful speaker and author, talks about the Many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, describes its difficult history and implications. As with his other books (and a fantastic podcast), it’s deeply philosophical, engaging and extremely weird, just like our universe. I highly recommend his books and talks to anyone, even if you’re not interested in quantum phy…
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
A compelling overview of research concerned with performance of generalists — those people who, despite the common wisdowm, are not trying to become niche specialists. This book is so damn interesting! The author relentlessly describes history, modern research, observations and statistics, while maintaining an aproachable and geniounely curiosity-endusing style.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
The Particle at the End of the Universe by Sean Carroll
Captivating story of the discovery of Higg’s boson. I’m still devouring all the content produced by Sean Carroll. His talent of explaining modern physics in a humane way is shown in this book as well as his other books, podcasts, youtube videos and lectures.
on rakhim.org · 16 Aug 2026
Sourdough by Robin Sloan
Sourdough by Robin Sloan. I read this when I burnt out on reading after college and it reminded me why I love to read.
on X · 16 Aug 2026
The Martian by Andy Weir
Try 'The Martian'. 384 pages, nonstop momentum, solid prose. Beats any 900 page slog.
on X · 16 Aug 2026
The Tiger by John Vaillant
The Tiger by John Vaillant
on X · 16 Aug 2026
The Martian by Andy Weir
Read that, very good!
on X · 16 Aug 2026
The Tiger by John Vaillant
Read that a few years ago. Enjoyed it a lot and still think of it :)
on X · 16 Aug 2026
How this list is built
These records come from rcmnd, a sibling project that collects public recommendations under one rule: a verbatim quote and a source URL, or it does not exist. A watcher reads public posts on a timer and a model finds a sentence — it is never allowed to write one. Every candidate is then checked character-for-character against the original post before it is stored. ybooks reads that database and shows you the books.