Literature
The course book
Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea C. Arpaci-Dusseau
The book is a very good introduction to the world of operating systems and is actually quite fun to read. It is quite different from the traditional books that are used in course in operating systems and I hope that you will like it. One advantage of Three Easy Pieces is that is available as pdf chapter by chapter on-line free of charge. You can also order a printed copy at a very good price; talk to you class mates and order several, or the shipping cost will be almost more than the price of the book.
Other books
There are several books that are often used as course books in operating systems courses. If you have anyone of these at hand you could find more or less the same content (but not as fun):
- Modern Operating Systems by Andrew S. Tannenbaum and Herbert Bros
- Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles by William Stalling
Other sources
- Julia's drawings cover many aspects of operating systems.