Kind of hard to search for because the titles are all over the place, but here are some of the past book discussions I've found that had a lot of comments and good suggestions and discussion.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387062
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929112
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32130578
Perplexity:
Based on the discussions from the provided Hacker News threads, here is a list of ten notable books recommended by users, particularly in the context of software engineering and programming:
## Top Ten Recommended Books
- *The Pragmatic Programmer* by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas A classic in software development, this book offers practical advice and principles for programmers.
- *Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship* by Robert C. Martin This book emphasizes writing clean, maintainable code and has become a staple in programming literature.
- *A Philosophy of Software Design* by John Ousterhout This book provides insights into software design principles and the importance of simplicity in design.
- *Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software* by Eric Evans A foundational text for understanding complex software systems and how to manage them effectively.
- *Designing Data-Intensive Applications* by Martin Kleppmann This book covers the principles of designing applications that handle large volumes of data efficiently.
- *Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code* by Martin Fowler Focuses on the process of refactoring code to improve its structure without changing its functionality.
- *Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction* by Steve McConnell This comprehensive guide covers best practices in software construction and coding techniques.
- *Effective Java* by Joshua Bloch A must-read for Java developers, this book provides best practices for writing robust Java code.
- *The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering* by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. A classic work discussing the complexities and challenges of managing software projects.
- *Programming Pearls* by Jon Bentley This book presents programming problems and solutions that enhance problem-solving skills and algorithmic thinking.
These books are highly regarded within the programming community and cover a range of topics from coding practices to software design philosophies, making them valuable resources for both new and experienced developers.
Citations: [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387062 [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929112 [3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32130578 [4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387062 [5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929112 [6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32130578 [7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29498220 [8] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29306651
This sounds like a hallucination tbh. If you look from the other lists, something like Clean Code is hardly recommended and gets criticized quite a bit. It's not something that stands to the test of time.
It's not a bad book, but it's the type of book a good list in 2025 should filter for.
I tend to agree -- it's hard to say without looking at the data more closely but the list is a little outside the scope and intent of my question. It's also possible I could've asked my "ask" more clearly!
I specifically was curious what the best books the people on HN read and was trying to get at the impact of a book on the person more so than just wanting a list of 10 frequently recommended books on programming according to Perplexity's summary of HN. Experimenting with AI is great, but in this case was looking for a more human and individualistic perspective.
I assume the "Perplexity" refers to the LLM that generated the list? As far as I can tell, none of the listed books are hallucinated though.
But I completey agree with your take on Martins Clean Code book.
Thanks for the references. I remember there was a Show HN that actually combed through these threads and made book recommendations based on how good someone is at making book recommendations. But many of those links no longer work.