Recordings

Guerrilla Home Recording, Second Edition
$24.99
this book is mostly for beginners, it covers a lot of things but won't help much if you already have some experience. It is easy to read, gives a good overview ... why not
I was very surprised to read advices on how to record on a 4 or 8 tracks analog machine while I suppose the number of available tracks is not a issue anymore

1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (A 1,000..Before You Die Book)
$32.95
Blah. What's with the human tendency to organize, categorize, and analyze the fun out of everything?

Home Recording Studio Build it Like the Pros
$39.99
I wish I had known about this book when I had my last home studio built for me! It certainly would have saved me a lot of time and money - not to mention the fact that I would have ended up with a much better studio. Don't even think about building, or getting a contractor to build something for you, without reading this book from cover to cover. It's very clearly written in non technical jargon and highlights all the major pitfalls to look out for along the way. For my new studio I'm going make sure my contractor has his own copy of this book! I'm also going to make sure my new studio is well ventilated - the guy who "designed" my old studio didn't think it was all that important!!??

CAD U1 USB Dynamic Recording Microphone
$49.00
I love and usually use the Rode Podcaster (Rode Microphones Podcaster USB Microphone), but I wanted something lighter and cheaper to carry around. Something cheap enough that I wouldn't be too upset if I dropped it or something.

I bought this mic despite the mixed reviews, and I'm glad I did. It sounds great. I haven't had any of the humming or buzzing reported by others, but I have picked up radio broadcasts while doing a test recording at work. I suspect that the other reviewers may have been experiencing interference or a bad cable rather than a bad mic.

Despite the cheap price, I've actually gotten compliments while using this mic on Skype. It comes with a decent desktop stand, has an on/off switch, and is native USB. For the price, it's really great. (I'm used to spending around $200 and up on a good mic.)