Thomas Biskup recommends: The Universal Principles of Design
"A great book about design principles, no matter whether you are designing games, software or tools. I like the two-page structure: First the design principle is explained and then you get real world examples of how the principle can be applied. Combined with clear writing, a crisp layout and streamlined editing this makes for great reading!"

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Thomas Biskup recommends: XBox Console
"Yes, I confess it - Microsoft has brought me back into console gaming. And there's a simple reason for it: I don't like hardware, I don't like fiddling with systems and I like to take it easy. The XBox system IMHO is as easy to use as its get. You have a built-in hard disc and never have to think about extensions to be able to save games (memory sticks, yikes :-P ), the games are great, the graphics are great and the price is ok. I have spent many hours playing Star Wars Battlefront and Fable and intend to continue doing this. So for me this is a safe bet and I surly will by the XBox 360 as soon as it is available. Of you want a simple console system with great games you can't go wrong here."

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Thomas Biskup recommends: Fable
"I love Fable for its details. The graphics are wonderful, the difficulty level is exactly right for me and you can almost feel how Fable II, III and IV will look. Hey, Fable IV might rival JADE in its level of detail ;-) We'll see who's finished first ;-) But seriously: Fable IMHO is one of the most wonderful and intriguing role playing games of the past years and it got me back into computer gaming. I love the quests, I love the detail and I love how all your actions change your character. Although there is so much that could be added to the game, it already now is a wonderful engine and I'm very much looking forward to future versions. Absolutely recommended!"

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Thomas Biskup recommends: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
"This book IMHO is simply marvelous: It explains human history with a broad perspective and explains why certain things happen with logical biological arguments instead of controversial and emotional points. There are reasons (geographical et al.) why american indians were conquered by europeans - but these reasons do not follow some stupid ubermensch theory but extrapolate from climate, geography and similar reasons. If you want to learn why the world developed the way it developed, this is the book to read! For software engineers and game designers this book IMHO is invaluable because it teaches you to think in larger perspectives and to consider how large consequences can result from small triggers. Here you can really begin to understand how worlds come to be. An absolute must-have! "

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Thomas Biskup recommends: The Design of Everyday Things
"I really believe that most software engineers think too little about the usability of their products. This book provides indepth thoughts on how to design usable items (not necessarily software) and how not to design usable tools. Many issues are adressed and the author shows a profound knowledge of the topics at hand (which is to be expected since he is teaching design for... many years). His writing is concise, yet humourous, which is a definite plus in my opinion. Every software engineer worth his money should be required to read this book! "

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Thomas Biskup recommends: Java Swing, 2nd Edition
"I heartily recommend this book to everyone who wants to build GUIs with Java and is trying to learn Swing. There are tons of great examples, everything is explained, but in nicely consumable bits and pieces and you really can get all the details - if you want. I learned Swing with the 1st edition of this book (and still use it as a reference for difficult programming questions concerning the JADE GUI), but the 2nd edition is even better from what looks in the store tell me. Maybe I'll buy it again. Note that this covers Swing up to JDK 1.4 (which is more than enough for a long time - the most recent new items do not require as much additional explaining, if you understand the basics)."

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Thomas Biskup recommends: American Gods
"I really have been enjoying Neil Gaiman lately. The man is a great storyteller, sports incredible mythological knowledge and really knows how to turn wheels within wheels. I really loved the story plot of this book: Where do all the gods (and other mythological beings) go, when their believers get fewer and fewer? A situation particularly problematic in the United States, where emigrants where concerned with the new world, new beliefs and new freedoms. An ex-convict gets hired by a (more or less) mysterious Mr. Wednesday and starts a weird trip through the US... wacky staff but very good reading. And it nicely shows how to build metaplots and loosen a story up with interesting side characters."

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Thomas Biskup recommends: Player's Handbook: Core Rulebook I (Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition)
"The player's handbook offers a lot of bang for the buck - character creation in D&D V3.5 has been improved by leaps and bounds and there is so much flexibility in the system that I personally no longer feel any real restrictions due to classes or levels. My favourites include: pick as many classes as you want, sorcerors, critical hits, the new familiar rules, feats and more. There also is some stuff that IMHO got worse from V3 to V3.5 but it's easy to ignore (e.g. weapon sizes). Definitely recommended (especially so since the ADOM RPG in the next version will also be grounded on the D20 rules)!"

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Thomas Biskup recommends: Dungeons & Dragons: V.3.5 Core Rulebook Set
"Here you get all the Dungeons & Dragons V3.5 Core Rulebooks in one set. I really love those books and have found my perfect fantasy system with these rules and the new Unearthed Arcana rulebook issued by Wizards of the Coast. This is so close to what ADOM RPG should have been that I will provide D20 rules for ADOM RPG based on these three books and some extra supplements. Character generation has become very flexible, the D20 rules system is pretty elegant and you can have a lot of fun with the wide range of possibilities these books offer."

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A complete list of my reading recommendations is available here.