First was Heat: (An Amateur’s Adventures as a Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-quoting Butcher in Tuscany), which was recommended on TV by Anthony Bourdain. It's a solid read, wherein the author gives a bit of history of the celebrity chef Mario Batali, and then the author describes his experience working in Batali's kitchen at Babbo. Later in the book, he talks about learning how to make pasta, and how to be a Tuscan butcher in Italy, similar to the way that Batali learned his trade. Well-written, easy to get into.
The second book was Classic Liqueurs: The Art & Cooking with Liqueurs, essentially a recipe book. Aging appears to be vital in this work, which I've yet to give a try. Maybe someday, in my infinite free time.../sarcasm...