Don’t have time to write a detailed post, but:

1.) Chris Crawford on Game Design: Not recommended, unless you’re a real game design wonk, and even then, only the first half of the book is really all that useful. The rest, a summary of Crawford’s experiences on the various games he’s developed, is old enough that it’s actually mostly obsolete. His writing style will also put off people who don’t take well to arrogance. Didn’t bother me all that much, but it actually does make some of his anecdotes less useful, because it’s really hard to determine whether it’s Crawford’s brain or his ego talking. I enjoyed the first half, but I *am* a game design wonk. So there.

2.) The Design of Everyday Things, by Robert Norman: Excellent, and highly recommended if you’re in any field of design, or have any influence on anything design-related. Hell, if you do anything with systems of any sort, or have users that interact with your work, it’s highly recommended reading. Many things that “feel” obvious are codified clearly in this book, and it gives you a more structured way to talk about what makes good design good, and bad design bad.

Next up, The Stuff of Thought, by Steven Pinker.