The Algorithm Design Manual (2008)
The Algorithm Design Manual is very 'fluffy'. I never understood why so many people like it.If you enjoy hand-waving and hate rigour, it's a nice read. But if you don't like computer science in the first place, why don't you pick a good novel or a book about giraffes?https://www.mccaughan.org.uk/g/books/alg-design.html puts a similar objection in a much more sympathetic tone that I can manage.I am quite enjoying the lecture notes on http ://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/ recently, but there are for a more advanced course.