Ree
Recommendations

This cookbook got me to try preparing meals that didn't come in a box. Recipes here are straightforward and interspersed with bits of nerdy humor. (I think I have as many pages bookmarked for references I enjoyed as for recipes I want to try.) There are also some fancier meals for when you're having a good day and want to try something more advanced.

Have a free cookbook, as a treat.

Classic scifi short stories. Even if you're familiar with the tales, it's worth reading the many forewords and afterwords the editors provide, where they examine their own relationships to these stories. (My personal fave: "Shambleau" by C. L. Moore.)

This book is available on several Baen CDs and downloadable free and legally from various sites.