Don't forget to check out my latest PIC n' MIX article in Everday Practical Electronics, where I cover how to choose a PIC microcontroller from over 1000 different PICs available on the market. I also talk about the hotly debated 8-bit versus 16-bit and 32-bit and their specific place in the world today.
You can buy it in PDF format online at http://www.epemag.com/buy-epe-online.html
Or you can buy it off from the shelf in your nearest newsagents.