My idea of a fun read is sitting down with a good how-to book and thinking about the cool stuff I could make. Tool Making for Woodworkers by Ray Larsen is such a book. I don't want to pick up Metalworking as a hobby but it's good to know I could do a bit of custom metalwork if I had to.

Anyway, the book: It's only 150 pages so you can read it in a few sittings. It goes through all the varieties of Steel and their distinct properties (the from 10,000 ft view), hardening and tempering. And, does so in a surprisingly concise and enjoyable manner. It's got a chart of the color of steel at temperature and a chart of the color of tempered steel (blue). The rest of the book has to do with forges, forging and otherwise misshaping hot metal. I don't know if I'll get into that but it's enjoyable to read how it's done. There are 'smiths that make forges out of barbeque grills

I'd say it's a useful book to have around the shop and even a good jumping off point if you want to dabble in Blacksmithing. It's a good mix of brevity and detail. Two thumbs up.