The Cuckoo's Egg, by Cliff Stoll

This was one of the most fun nerdy book I've ever read. It spent a long time in the NY Times' bestsellers list, I know, but I can't tell you how much someone non-initiated in computer (network) technology can really enjoy it. What I know is that for one who works with and understand these diabolic machines, it was a blast.

In a nutshell, this tells the true story of how an astronomer converted into system administrator finds that a 75 c discrepancy in the system accounting logs leads to a thrilling tale of international espionage. Much of the book is about tracking hackers, system security holes, and how law enforcement was unprepared to deal with computer crime in 1987. It's a really interesting read punctuated by technical and legal factoids (which may very well be outdated by now) cleverly intermingled with the author's personal experiences in the time period. Stoll uses some of his innermost thoughts and beliefs to humanize what would otherwise have been a story too technical and factual to be enjoyed by the average person.