Here is a very different approach to the weekly idevblogaday blog post. And I admit it has an egoistic component. Because occasionally I would love to see similar posts from others.
Pretty much every developer I know is an avid book reader. Most are also into cooking, but that’s another story (idevrecipeaday anybody? 
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So I want to introduce you to a new book. And the way I am doing this is to list five random books I like. Similar to an Amazon list. I am very convinced that you know at least one of them, if not more. And that’s the point, if you know some of these books and like them and you can relate to my description of the others, I might have been able to point you to a book you will enjoy reading and you might even find influential in one way or the other.
1. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
That’s a safe start. Personally, I think there is a perfect age to read the Hitchhiker. When you had your first dose of classic SF, a first dose of why technology might also have flaws instead of just being supercool and when you had a first idea that life generally is kind of crazy, that is a great age to read the Hitchhiker. However, even if you missed it back then, this is a must-know for any developer. The nice thing is you just have to read the first three intro pages to see if you like the style. It needs to be in this list, so it is.
2. Daemon
This is the book I am surprised about how many folks have NOT read it. The author, an engineer himself, builds on existing technology. And stretches it, using detailed technical explanations and connecting many of the dots that are out there, today. For the average reader, this still is SciFi with technical explanations, so some Amazon reviews are like “hmm, ja”. They completely miss the point!
For the informed technical reader who has seen the first AR apps already, who knows what server scripts can do and what bot-nets are, it is very hard to tell where he crosses the line between technology today and SciFi.* And this is what I really enjoyed, that constant juggle on every page between “nah, not possible yet” and “well, maybe it is”. It makes this book so special and I would instantly vote it the best book I have read the last four years.
* don’t get me wrong, in the end it IS SciFi and it comes with a fair share of violence, sex & drugs, so come on!
3. Dream Park
One of those books I bought from a bargain table and found myself rereading several times before finding out it was actually written by Larry Niven. It might not be his strongest book and it really explains why the characters are a bit strange sometimes (seems to be a Niven weak spot, I hated the Ringworld characters), but the topic and the setup really worked for me. If you like video games, this is a great read.
You might have seen the movie, you might have heard controversial things, you can tag it as a children’s book and you should forget all of this right now. If you have not read this book, you have missed one of the best fantasy books out there. Very accessible, compelling strong story and choke full of imagination. Go buy it and read it. Now!
5. The Swarm
Amazon reviews bash it because it spends so much time on explaining ecological science besides being completely breathtaking? Well, this blog is mostly read by technical minds, so you might find this as interesting (and thrilling) as I did. Warning, it has a somewhat strange ending and it seems the translation to english is at times questionable, but if you want to read something that goes far beyond “The Day after Tomorrow” or “2012″ and has a breathtaking build-up, I can highly recommend this one.
As I said, this is a random selection (allows me to post more later) and those are not the best five books I know, but five books I would recommend any time to anybody who likes reading good, technology/fantasy/gaming inspired literature. Let me know how you like them! And please blog about your recommendations.
Neuromancer by William Gibson. The grand-daddy of cyberpunk, William Gibson coined the term “cyberspace”. This extremely visionary book was written in 1984 (which blows my mind), and is also a fun story full of action and suspense.
The funny thing is I never really found access to Neuromancer, maybe I am not compatible with Gibson’s style. I really tried but I think I never made it more than halfway through. Did that book influence you a lot?
Yeah, his style back then was pretty distinct. His more recent books are more accessible, set in present day, etc. I read Neuromancer in high school, and have since read (I think) every other book he’s written. All very enjoyable.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is also a great read, quite a faster pace then Neal’s other books. WWII, present day, code breaking, and adventure, what’s not to like
+1 for Daemon also.