As an avid midlife gamer with nostalgic interest in gaming history I enjoy reading gaming books.
In this picture you can see the gaming books I own. My favorite is "Masters of Doom" followed by "The Ultimate History of Video Games" (I am aware there is a second volume).
I would like to hear more recommendations from you.
P. S: Note that PC gaming is my thing therefore it is highly unlikely that I will get a book about consoles or console games.
I think it would be more worthwhile to learn a programming language. The great majority of gamers have no clue how games actually work, and it isn't that difficult to at least grasp the basics. It will completely change your perspective while gaming and you'll have a deeper understanding of features, design decisions, etc.
Thanks for your advice but I am pretty sure that is not what I am looking for (source: I did start a programing career in college eons ago but lose interest and become a dropout. :)).