For staying motivated to read, I like to set up and read small clusters of books then write about them. Being able to put a bow on a reading project is easier to stick with than reading X books in a year.
This is a fun side project I've been working on now for a few years that looks back at research from 100, 150, and 200 years ago. Some stuff is well-known, others have been forgotten, and still others were never read at the time.
I've had lots of great suggestions from HN readers in the past. If I've missed anything cool that you like, please share!
I do not have showdead on, but I visit newest most times I visit HN. I'm more likely to browse the headlines/comments on the front page but click on links on newest.
I've been writing about interesting books and papers I read for a few years now. I wanted a nice, simple interface to point people to as a "hub" for recommendations that's compatible with a static site.
I write quite a bit about books and papers I read. This ranges from contemporary work on privacy and machine learning to math, economics, and philosophy from the nineteenth century.
Several readers have asked for an easy way to get recommendations without working through long-form review articles.
My favorite part of HN is finding great reading recommendations, especially stuff I likely wouldn't have otherwise come across. Here are some papers/articles I enjoyed last year and think others may enjoy as well.
Feel free to post some of your favorites from 2025!
This is a fun side project I've been working on now for a few years that looks back at research from 100, 150, and 200 years ago. Some stuff is well-known, others have been forgotten, and still others were never read at the time. At the very least, I hope you'll find something new and interesting!
I've had lots of great suggestions from HN readers in the past. If I've missed anything cool that you like, please share!
My favorite book this year was "Differential Privacy" (2025) by Simson Garfinkel. Differential privacy is a mathematical theory of data privacy sandwiched between cryptography, databases, and ML. This is the first book-length non-technical introduction, and it's well executed.
I've really enjoyed writing recurring posts. For example, each December, I write up lists of the most interesting books and papers I've read during the year. These usually generate a decent amount of interest and are something I look forward to writing each year.
> If you were starting today, what would you do differently?
I wish I would have started earlier. Writing a blog has kept my writing skills sharp.
Each year, I put together lists of the books and articles I've I read that I found most interesting. This started out as a way to motivate myself to take better notes when I read. Now, I occasionally also get a nice message from someone who stumbled onto something new. Please share your list below!
Here's a peek at my list:
* Differential Privacy by Simson Garfinkel (2025)
* The Philosopher in the Kitchen by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1825)
* After Adam Smith: A Century of Transformation in Politics and Political Economy by Murray Milgate and Shannon G. Stimson (2009)
* Philosophical Analysis: Its development between the two World Wars by J. O. Urmson Haskins (1956)
* Tales of the Weird: An Uncanny Introduction (2023)
* An Introduction to Information Theory: Symbols, Signals and Noise by John R. Pierce (1980)
* Relativism and the Foundations of Philosophy by Steven D. Hales (2006)
Differential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel. This is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to differential privacy from the MIT Press essentials series.
The Philosopher in the Kitchen (1825) by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. This is a primer on gourmandism or the art and science of cooking, eating, and hosting. An interesting look at the French intellectual milieu at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Relativism and the Foundations of Philosophy (2006) by Steven Hales. This book argues for relativism about philosophical propositions, e.g., metaphysical statements. I came across this book and picked it up after enjoying a few articles from Hales' blog [0].
I usually put up a list at the end of each year. Here's the list from last year [1].
I find the naturalism vs spiritualism debate to be one of the most compelling parts of what's going on in the late nineteenth century and plan to continue covering it in future installments.
It's always an interesting exercise choosing which books or articles to write about. There's a balancing act between what I want to read, what I think is important or representative, and what do I know enough about to have anything to add.