The first of these is "Smart Home Hacks", by Gordon Meyer, a collection of short, quick descriptions of how to automate certain tasks, a quick discusion of the theory, then ideas on how to extend the idea. I really like this approach, and those familiar with the C/C++ Developers Bible will recognise the style. Because of the way it is written you can either read the book from cover to cover and learn the subject, but it's equally good if you know what you want, and just want to know the best way to acheive it. It's the kind of book you can take to the toilet, open it at a page and learn something new...