The book Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing doesn't read like a textbook to me, and it's quite interesting. http://www.amazon.com/Algorithmics-Spirit-Comput

The book Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing doesn't read like a textbook to me, and it's quite interesting. http://www.amazon.com/Algorithmics-Spirit-Computing-David-Harel/dp/0321117840/ http://www.amazon.com/Algorithmics-Spirit-Computing-David-Ha... The New Turing Omnibus http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Turing-Omnibus-Excursions/dp/0805071660/ http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Turing-Omnibus-Excursions/dp/0... is also good, as is Code by Charles Petzold. http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0735611319/ http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa... AFTER EDIT: While I thought about the first three books I mentioned, I thought of another, Write Great Code, Volume 1: Understanding the Machine by Randall Hyde. http://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-ebook/dp/B0096FEJGQ/ http://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-ebook/d...