The following is a list of books by category and what my impressions are of each.

DirectX Books

Spells of Fury
by Michael J. Norton
ISBN: 1571690670
Overview: This was the first really good DirectX book. One of my personal favorites, however it is written for C and used DirectX 2.0.

Teach Yourself DirectX 7 in 24 Hours
by Robert Dunlop
ISBN: 067231634X
Overview: This book is written for C/C++ and uses DirectX 7. I liked this book for its detail and easy to understand diagrams.

Game Programming Books

Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus
by Andre Lamothe
ISBN: 0672313618
Overview: If you want to learn to program games for windows, this book is a solid foundation. The version of DirectX used in the book is outdated, however the optimization methods, advice and basic framework is still very valuable. I'm hoping the author will come out with an updated version.

Game Programming Gems
by Mark DeLoura
ISBN: 1584500492
Overview: One of the foundation books for every game programmer. I was thoroughly impressed with this book. The techniques described here are well suited for all game programming.

Game Programming Starter Kit 5.0
by Macmillan Software
ISBN: 1575955555
Overview: This kit includes three CD's. One with a 3D programming library, one with an e-book version of the Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus book, and another with Visual C++6(stripped down version). The bound book included with this kit is the best selling Game Design: Secret of the Sages. At first I wasn't impressed with this book. However I have to admit that as I read along, I found it quite enjoyable, and there was tons of good advice in the book. Including information about getting a job in the industry, how to develop games, and good overall advice from many of the greats in the industry. I would highly recommend this package due to the fact you get two really nice books (one being an e-book) at a reasonable price.

Arcade Books

The Complete Pinball Book
by Marco Rossignoli
ISBN: 0764310038
Overview: This books is an excellent collection of information on the history of pinballs. It is a large coffee table book with excellent pictures.

Visual Basic Books

Visual Basic 6 - How To Program
byHarvey M. Deitel, Paul J. Deitel, T. R. Nieto
ISBN: 0134569555
Overview: A complete book for anyone who wants to learn VB. I've used this book many times to teach non-programmers, and also those who were used to other languages. This book has everything but ADO coverage.