I recently finished reading Internet Routing Architectures, 2nd ed. by Sam Halabi. This marks the second book I've completed from Internetwork Expert's list of recommended CCIE books, the first being Inside Cisco IOS Software Architecture.

Granted, Internet Routing Architectures is an older book, originally published in 2000. But has BGP changed all that much since then? Well, maybe. But I found the book a great compliment to my CCNP-level study of BGP.

Having never worked in a position where I dealt directly with BGP configuration and operation, I found the author's simplistic but applicable scenarios provided a great bridge to becoming more familiar with the protocol. While certainly no substitute for real-world experience, this book has boosted my confidence in my ability to implement BGP in a lab environment and further advance my study.