I don’t have as much time to read non-technical books these days, but I still try to read- I have a list of books on my shelves that I haven’t gotten to yet.  I’ll be adding books and notes about each, and please let me know if you have any recommendations.

Non-technical

Dan Simmons

• Hyperion: My first taste of Simmons’ work. He works classical literature (Keats, in particular) with hard science fiction.  The format of much of the story is similar to The Canterbury Tales.
• The Fall of Hyperion: The conclusion to the story started in Hyperion and a must-read if you read the first.
• Ilium:
• Olympos:

Neal Stephenson

• Cryptonomicon: My favorite Neal Stephenson book, with multiple main characters and two different timelines (WW II and near-present).  Heavily researched, with detailed discussion of cryptography, mathematics, computer programming mixed into the plot.  I could read this book again and again.
• Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1): Takes place in the same universe as Cryptonomicon, with ancestors of the major (and minor) characters taking the lead.  Historical figures such as Newton, Leibniz, William of Orange, the kings of France and England, and many other big names of the Enlightenment also play major roles.  It gets into some of the same topics of Cryptonomicon like cryptography, mathematics, the beginnings of computer science, but also the development of modern finance, alchemy, and politics.
• The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 2)
• The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3)
• Snow Crash: My first entry into Neal Stephenson’s writing. A fun read, and good intro to Neal’s writing.  Less technical than Cryptonomiconor the Baroque Cycle books, but definitely still tech-y, dealing with virtual reality, language-based brain virus (have to read it), the future of capitalism… he covers a lot of ground.  The main character is named “Hiro Protagonist”.
  • I actually think that the world of Snow Crash is the same as Cryptonomicon, since anonymous/private electronic banking is described as the cause of the state of the world (governments being unable to collect taxes) – and this was being pursued by the characters of the modern timeline in Crypto.
• The Diamond Age: Implicit sequel to Snow Crash.  The world has advanced, with nanotechnology at the center.

Science fiction

• The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi: An easy, interesting read; I got through it in two days just by reading while waiting for code to run.  It takes place in a couple hundred years, after world-altering climate change takes place.  Deals with the effects of genetically modified plants (and the diseases that follow), and the titular character is a genetically-designed being.
• Neuromancer, William Gibson: The original cyberpunk. Gibson created the term “cyberspace”, although not in this book but in a preceding novelette. Quite possibly influenced the development of the modern Internet.  Definitely worth reading.
• Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive: sequels set in the same timeline; add details about the world of Neuromancer (as well continuing the plot).

Other fiction

• American Gods: A Novel, Neil Gaiman
• The Difference Engine, William Gibson & Bruce Sterling: Arguably the originator of the “steampunk” genre.  The main premise is that Charles Babbage successfully developed his mechanical computer in the 19th century, leading to the information age a century early and centered in Victorian Great Britain.  One of those books that you want to continue at the end, just to see more of the world.

Nonfiction

Technical

• Fundamentals of Gas Dynamics, Robert D. Zucker & Oscar Biblarz: I used this during my preparation for my PhD qualifier to cover gas dynamics, and it made my review of the subject go quite easily. My only complaint would be their choice to use an arbitrary gravitational constant (rather than use the standard gravitational acceleration)- but I understand the purpose, to keep the equations general at other altitudes (or even planets).
• Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, Claus Borgnakke & Richard E. Sonntag: This is another textbook I used to prepare for my PhD qualifier. It covers the basics in a thorough and easy to understand way, and even gets into some more advanced concepts such as thermodynamics relating to combustion- highly recommended.
• Fundamental Mechanics of Fluids, Iain G. Currie: The third textbook I used to prepare for my qualifier, it covers fluid mechanics.  It does a great job going through everything, my only complaint is that the treatment of potential flow is different than the way I originally learned it.