It's the season where we're expected to be happy and spend time with our nearest and dearest. On the principle that you can have too much of a good thing, here is this year's list of top titles that we at I Programmer would be happy to receive as a present, give to someone we like, or just hide behind when we've had enough socialising.

Some of the books in this round-up are there because they're fun. Others are those that will stretch your mind - you've probably had them on your reading list; this is a good time to open their covers. 

If you want to read more of the original review click in the link in each title. Clicking on the book jacket in the side panel will take you to Amazon.

If you do decide to make a book purchase, accessing Amazon from a link on I Programmer means that we are credited with a few cents - so thanks to all of you who support us in this way.

Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred  

Author: David Erik Nelson
Publisher: No Starch Press
Pages: 360
ISBN: 978-1593272593

This is an old book that still has relevance for adults who want to introduce kids to electronics and craft. Harry Fairhead gave it 4.5 stars, saying that there is a great deal of fun to be had from craft and electronics projects and this book introduces skills that today's kids might have missed out on.

He concluded that if you have children and the time to engage them simply go and buy the book and get on with it. They will thank you in years to come.

The Trick Of The Mind: Programming and Computational Thought 

Author: Dr Mike James
Publisher: I/O Press
Pages: 182
ISBN: 978-1871962727

Programming involves a well-developed type of thinking that is the key distinction between the programmer and the non-programmer rather than any facility with technology or familiarity with any particular programming language.

In this book Mike James shows how to use computational thinking as a whole new approach to solving problems and for finding the mistakes that inevitably crop up in your solutions. The book shows what makes programming such a special skill and, even if you don’t want to write code yourself, you will see everyday problems in a new light and tackle them with the benefit of algorithmic thinking.

Algorithms in a Nutshell, 2nd Ed

Author: George Heineman, Gary Pollice, Stanley Selkow
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pages: 390
ISBN: 978-1491948927

There are lots of algorithm books, but this one is a little different. Mike James said that while standard algorithm books simply present common or classic algorithms to do a range of things in the language of choice, this one isn’t at all academic and it’s a very good and easy read.

Mike gave it the maximum five stars and said this book is a “keeper” - make room for it on your bookshelf as it’s essential reading and great for making up for what you never learned in Computer Science lectures.

Cooking for Geeks 

Author: Jeff Potter
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pages: 432
ISBN: 9780596805883

We've included this book before in our holiday reading roundups, but it's a worthy entry so if you've not got a copy, it's worth checking out.

Mike James, who is an enthusiastic cook as well as being a committed programmer gave it a 5-star rating, saying that the perfect reader for this book is the technically-minded cook who wants to know more. Mike said the book is good fun to read with lots of thought provoking ideas, and highly recommended it as a really great Xmas gift for any geek. 

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