Would others agree this might be a nice follow up for me, especially if I'm looking for more current material now that I (am starting to) get the fundamentals?
Indeed. The 2nd edition companion Student Manual by Tom Hayes (which will also be updated) used in Harvard's class covers building a functioning computer 'from scratch'. Lots of practical labs and discussion in it.
Also, the AoE 3rd edition has a new chapter on microcontrollers.
I'll see if it's OK to post a table of contents of the new book here.
I'm currently reading Digital Computer Electronics (1977 edition, current here: http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Computer-Electronics-Albert-Ma...).
Would others agree this might be a nice follow up for me, especially if I'm looking for more current material now that I (am starting to) get the fundamentals?