I've been unable to stop buying books even with financial disaster imminent. That said it's cheaper than other things I would probably do instead... :-)
I always keep several books on the go at once to allow for mood, so here are the current books :
Self-explanatory really. The best single-volume coverage of Unix and Internet security. To learn more you start getting into man pages, RFCs and (eek!) the actual source code.
C++: The Core Language, Satir and Brown, Pub. O'Reilly.
I am doing some home study on C/C++, and the monster texts loading the bookshelves seem far too big and forbidding, hence this slim volume immediately caught my eye - it's published by O'Reilly which is a good start, and it covers the core of C++ in 207 pages (including index and appendices). Cheap too (15 quid)!
The C Programming Language, Kernighan & Ritchie, Pub. Prentice Hall.
The C Bible, always cited as THE definitive book on C. Again slim and therefore readable, but an eye-watering 32 quid.
This one is an oddity. The book consists of complete source code listings of the Unix 6th edition kernel source code, together with a commentary on the code by John Lions. Lions was a University lecturer in Australia who produced the commentary for a course he was giving. Because the code is proprietary, the notes could never be published, but due to their immense populatiry among the Unix afficionados, it became an "underground" classis, widely photocopied and furtively passed around. Finally it has been published and made available to all, but even with this amazing pedigree, I again cringe at 34.50 for a paperback!
One of the key C++ books by the man himself. A difficult read (I mean, you have to *concentrate*!).
I like some of Larry Niven's Sci-Fi enormously, and Ringworld is up there with his best. This is the third in the series and so far it shows promise.
I plan to write reviews of the above when I finish them and as time allows.