Dave Rolsky has started a fascinating page on the Perl 5 wiki: Perl Best Practices module recommendation commentary. It addresses each of the modules Damian recommends in the book, and whether you should or shouldn't be using them. Of course, since it's a wiki, add your own comments.
What's happening in the world of Perl programming, including Perl 5, Perl 6, the CPAN and Parrot?
What is the etiquette for adding conflicting opinions? I just added one for Smart::Comments.