I was not really impressed by Ries' book. I don't feel I got much that was actually practical or useful out of it that I hadn't already gleaned from blogs or sites like HN. It seems more like a high level look at what "lean" is.

The book that continues to be the one that has given me the most practical value is "Start Small, Stay Small":

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YH9MMI/?tag=dedasys-20

It is not a "classic" - twenty years from now some of it will look really dated, but right now it has got lots of great advice for someone trying to bootstrap a small business.

One bit of advice from someone who is very much a reader is that sometimes, yes, books can give you good advice, but you've got to take the time to go out and do as well. Lots of stuff you read won't completely make sense until you try and put it in practice.

I publish my own reviews here, although I just mix everything up, so they are not startup specific:

http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.com/

The Fremont one was fascinating - that guy really got around and happened to be in a number of right places at the right times.