Harry Potter
by J. K. Rowling · first published 2001
22% recommend73% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Imaginative British school-adventure fantasy, praised as top-tier children's literature with an immersive atmosphere, especially in the early books. Suits kids around 10 to 13 and adults who reread the series.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…read! 3. The Martian (Andy Weir) - Hands down the best science fiction book I have read. I have lost count how many times I have listened to the audio-book (probably >15). I want to go to MARS! 4. Harry Potter Series. -My go-to "background noise". I read the books as a kid. I use the audio-books to tune out the world when working on stuff that does not require my full attention (Listening Goblet of Fire as I type…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗Some of my favourite books or books currently on my wishlist (in no particular order). Many of these have been mentioned in other comments: * Harry Potter series (thankfully I read this as a kid when I had more time) * Thinking, Fast and Slow * How to Win Friends and Influence People * David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants *…
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗Fiction : * Lolita by Vladmir Nabakov ; an absolute master class. * The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling ; one for the memories! Non Fiction : * Letters of Note by Shawn Usher; a compendium of wonderful letters from the past. Highly recommended. https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Note-Collection-Correspondenc...…
on “Ask HN: What are your greatest books?” ↗* Harry Potter! * A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Taught me much about myself and reinforced a healthy pattern of practicing will power. * The End of Your World: After discovering spirituality…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗…action that a rich person takes to enrich themselves rather than trying to level the playing field is by definition taking from the poor. J.K. Rowling was already a wealthy person before finishing her Harry Potter series. Each additional book further enriched her, but also enriched me because I got hours of enjoyment from reading another Harry Potter book which was a great trade for the ten USD or so I spent on it.
on “Economic Inequality (2016)” ↗In the Harry Potter series, Rowling makes a conspicuous mention of the diadem in book 5 and it never pays off in the book. It seemed so strange to me. When it returned in the 7th book I literally yelped with joy.
on “Chekhov's Gun” ↗The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin Harry Potter - JK Rowling (re-read it all when the last book came out)
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗Harry Potter. I read most of the tomes a few times and some parts as well. I do not like everything but the overall atmosphere (especially in the first few books) is amazing.
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗I enjoyed both. I mean, for X to be good, Y doesn’t have to be bad. They’re different things. Ignoring wizardry and fantasy for a moment, Harry Potter is also a “school adventure”, which is a staple of British children’s literature, including works such as Enid Blyton’s Mallory Towers. Anyway — there’s so much good children’s literature out there.…
on “Ursula Le Guin Books” ↗1. Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution. 2. Kernighan & Ritchie C (I learn/interpret either something new about C or marvel the art of precise writing) 3. Harry Potter series
on “Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?” ↗Feed them fiction! 10 to 13 is great age to nurture the imagination and exploring ideas. - Harry Potter - Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree series - Lord of the Rings (start with the Hobbit) - Sherlock Holmes (and Agatha Christie's mysteries) - Asimov's Robot and Foundation series
on “Ash HN: Book you wish you read as a kid?” ↗…still listen to and enjoy Mr. Bungle's music. Gary Glitter... I still like the song Rock n Roll Part Two. J.K. Rowling has some controversial views on transsexual women, but that doesn't mean that the Harry Potter series is any less worthwhile reading than it was before. ReiserFS I still buy Nestle Quik occasionally Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, name almost any tech bro... (but not Steve Wozniak, he's a…
on “Graphene OS: a security-enhanced Android build” ↗For a couple of different reasons. The first is literary merit: reading Harry Potter is a great deal more enjoyable than reading Bechdolt's book. Rowling may not be Homer or Shakespeare, and there are things about her books that could be better, but reading them has been an extremely…
on “Greg Newby, CEO of Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, has died” ↗The Lost World - Michael Crichton Harry Potter -
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗4. Harry Potter series – JK Rowling