[toponium]

Amen to Ashcroft & Mermin. I found it much easier to use over Kittels solid state text. Or, more accurately, Shittels solid state physics

[starwed]

Indeed, the one solid-state class I took used Kittels, and I quickly ended up borrowing Ashcroft from someone. Kittels was the least "physics-y" physics textbook I ever came across.