Books, read or recommended

I am constantly recommending books to other people, so I figured I'd sign up for Amazon's associates program and make it easier for people to buy them (and get a bit of the action in the process). Here are some books that you may find interesting.

Recently added!

Write Now: A Complete Self Teaching Program for Better Handwriting

I've got terrible handwriting, and barely passed handwriting in fourth grade. I'm so bad, I've given up on cursive entirely. This book tries to change that, by teaching a method of handwriting starting with italic printing and proceeding directly into cursive. It's one of the few books I could find that isn't directed at children.

I haven't had an improvement yet, but I've only done two practice sessions.

Cookwise

I like to call it "The engineer's guide to cooking." It has detailed explanations of why certain things work and others don't. It has some good recipes, but the explanations are the key. Want to know how to make the best french fries, or how to make the perfect mousse? Check this book out.

Big Book of 30-Minute Dinners

Filled with yummy yet quick recipes, this has become a staple at our house. Each recipe lists prep time, cooking time, and nutrition information, and they're all around 30 minutes or less. Recipes like the sherried pork (25 minutes) show that the authors are able to pack a lot of flavor in little time. All recipes have pictures for inspiration, and timesaving tips are scattered throughout. Well worth having if you want family dinners and are strapped for time.

Books I'm reading (or have recently finished)

The Art of Computer Programming: Fundamental Algorithms

This is the first of Knuth's extremely detailed and dense coverage of computer science material. It covers CS from a mathematical and practical standpoint. Not for the faint of heart... it will take time and effort to work through completely, but you'll be better for the attempt. Truth in advertising: I've had this book for several years now and still haven't completed it, but I've learned a lot.

Design Patterns

Another classic work, but a bit newer. It seems that all developers good at object-oriented design recommend this book. I haven't finished it yet, but it seems good so far.

Books which have been recommended to me

Tomorrow's Professor

It's a book about surviving the ultra-competitive market in Academia. I haven't read it, but my wife will be... we'll give impressions once we have some. It came highly recommended.

DMG, 3rd edition

Yes, D&D lives on. I need to buy this eventually... my friends assure me that I'll love 3rd edition once I see all the rules. Personally, I'm still in favor of the old boxed-set D&D rules made complete by the Rules Cyclopedia, but I'm a weirdo.