Practical, comprehensive, and useful
585899
As Emmet Carson points out in the introduction to Opening Doors, "successful fund development occurs from effectively carrying out and communicating the organization's mission" and to succeed the "heretofore largely taboo" issues of culture and race must be dealt with appropriately and sensitively.  Ms. Newman provides a panoramic view of what these issues are and provides practical, step by step advice in how to deal with them.
Diana Newman provides a overview of the problems faced by community philanthropic agencies and provides detailed strategies on how to deal with them.  Newman has extensive experience herself in these areas and has invited other contributors to provide detailed insights based on their experience.  The book discusses cultural groupings that really matter in philanthropic fund raising and these are subtly and importantly different than groupings used by the US Census.  There is an extraordinary level of detail and statistics that are brought to bear on this topic. This is book that anyone who is managing a community philanthropic organization should read and should consult as a reference.
4557006
This is a useful text covering three facets of information, 1)the history of the development of library instruction in schools; 2)the research and implications as it applies to searching for information; and 3)trends, models, and strategies for teaching information literacy in schools. The last facet, being the largest in volume, is naturally the most practical; and it will be the reason to select this book. The research presented includes old and new ideas and conclusions that build upon one another to form a cohesive and sensible approach.

On a more personal note, I found the material very helpful to get up to speed in an area that can be neglected in public librarianship training.
2079722
I was thrilled to be asked to review Dan Wellman's latest tome. I've been following Dan on Twitter for quite some time now, and have learned much about jQuery from his tweets. Packt Publishing's range of technical books have been a boon for web developers for a number of years now. They specialise in publishing technical books for niche technologies in a timely fashion and at a reasonable price point, often covering new and obscure topics that publishing behemoths like O'Reilly overlook. Scanning my technical bookshelf, Packt's offerings feature prominently. Helpfully, sample code featured in the books is usually available online from Packt. Additionally, Packt titles can be bought as downloadable books, for those times when you really need to learn something right now!

The book clocks in at a robust 311 pages, and is aimed at front-end developers with good knowledge of HTML and CSS, and a passing knowledge of jQuery and javascript. The first chapter sets up the rest of the book nicely, by running through the history of animation on the internet and explaning why jQuery and jQuery UI feature in the toolkit of today's front-end developers.

The book is written with best practices in mind, and progressive enhancement techniques are used where possible. As you might expect, HTML5 tags and CSS3 properties feature prominently - Dan is resolutely looking to the future. He slips in little nuggets relating to jQuery best practice from time to time. Browser bugs and hacks are also discussed where relevant. It's this attention to detail that makes a good technical book great.

The examples are fully formed and comprehensive from the start - the code snippets are practical, and may well find their way into your next project. Regular pop quizzes help the reader to check that they have grasped key concepts before moving on to the next section. A "Have a Go Hero" section challenges readers to apply the techniques they have learned to extend the functionality of the examples in the book.

The book opens with a number of chapters covering the main jQuery library, and its animation methods. There really is no filler to be found in the text. By chapter 5, the reader is learning how to write their own plugins.

As the author delves into jQuery UI with a series of small, but practical coding exercises, its power becomes apparent. The examples tend to mirror real world implementations, and some of the techniques can be seen on today's cutting edge websites. Of particular note are the animations that make use of new CSS3 transforms, which demonstrate how a few lines of code can create jaw-dropping effects.

The HTML5 canvas functionality gets a chapter to itself. Dan takes us through the somewhat cumbersome process of coding canvas line drawings through jQuery (fortunately tools and libraries are starting to emerge which take much of the drudgery out of this process). The chapter and book conclude with a rudimentary Space Invaders implementation.

This isn't a book you'll be able to consume in one sitting. Getting the best out of it will probably require at least two readings. That being said, anyone with moderate jQuery chops will be able to dip into the book, and use it immediately as a reference manual to solve specific problems. I heartily enjoyed it, and can only hope that I will be able to exercise the author's restraint when demonstrating my new found animation skills on client websites!
1315432
A very well-written and incredibly useful book!
3013459
Informative, comprehensive, practical and funny. It will help you no matter where you are in your freelance writing career, and unlike some ultra-opiniated books where the writer is vehemently for or against some things, Petit lets you decide for yourself. He has his own point of view of course, but it's well-informed, funny and realistic. He has so much experience that you'd be surprised he is not in his 70s. But he understands and appreciates both print and web, the need for you to get out there and helps you decide on your own path.

Strictly recommended as a reference book to return to again and again.
115040
This is a great book and especially useful for anyone teaching online, or designing courses to be taught online. The chapters on retention and motivation are extremely comprehensive and clear, as well as full of ideas you can follow up on if so inclined. Retention in online learning is a huge issue and Dr Bonk and Dr Khoo's use of the TEC-VARIETY mnemonic to look at ways of increasing student engagement and motivation is a clever one. You will not regret buying this book, it's a great resource and reference.
1790886
I've now read two books by Dr. Miklowitz, one for mental health clinicians and this book.  The Survival Guide is an excellently practical, fairly comprehensive, and highly accessible guide to understanding and dealing with the many facets of bipolar disorder.  It is a great tool for those suffering from the illness, but it could also be useful for one's family members or friends.  BD is complex and can be overwhelming; however, with some research, emotional support, and, usually, medication, it is a navigable illness that can often be very well treated.  I make this claim to point out the potentially life-saving nature of the advice given in this book and others like it.  In concise and clearly written chapters, Dr. Miklowitz explores the many ways that bipolar disorder can affect an individual and offers research-supported tips on how to manage the illness.  I highly recommend this volume to anyone looking for a thorough but accessible guide to understanding bipolar disorder.
4955913
If you teach a database management course in an "high-end" undergaduate program, I suggest that you take a close look into this book.  It provides a comprehensive and well-balanced selection of topics  (technical, theoretical, practical), non-nonsense and accurate writing, and  lucid presentation. From what I've seen thus far, it's probably the best  general-purpose database management textbook in the market.
1977148
Goel's book, while not overbearing in size or detail, is surprisingly comprehensive in scope.  The diversity and importance of models explained in this work is very impressive.

A student or economics enthusiast who has a good understanding of basic to intermediate economic theory will find sufficient detail, discussion, and illustration to elucidate the more-advanced concepts described in this work.

Likewise, a more advanced reader will find the the book to be highly readable.  The level of detail is not onerous, but concepts and theories discussed are sufficient in number to make this a good first-look or refresher in industrial organization for even the most capable students.

In essence, this edition strikes an excellent balance between brevity and detail, readability and profundity.  Its compact stature makes it much more recommendable for the self-directed learner than most textbooks.

Even Goel's bibliography is impressive.
3111148
I have been working with and training teams for over a decade. Much of the information in this book is not new to me - but it's terrific to see it all in one place. There are no tips the author has missed here regarding the creation and management of successful teams, and it's refreshing to have them all in one comprehensive resource. There is also some new information here, even for a seasoned team leader, most noteably how to manage virtual teams and how teams can utilize social networking technology. On top of all of this, the writing style is accessible - friendly and professional at once. This volume will be a valuable resource for anyone who wishes to deepen their working relationships and to attain the highest levels of productivity and loyalty from their team members. I would definetely use this book as a text when doing team training in the future.
1446042
A very comprehensive, informative and practical volume delivered fairly quickly.
2389276
P. J. Aitken has written an extensive and wide-ranging book to help any prospective freelancer hoping to make a living. The Online Writers Companion: a complete guide to earning your living as a freelancer is a comprehensive and clear book that does what it says on the tin. The book covers the freelancing websites you should use or avoid, setting up and managing your online profile, and dealing with jobs, deadlines and clients. Aitken has condensed what has been a two year journey for him, into a clear and useable book for fledgling freelancers.

Aitken has broken up a dense book into 4 parts, and then into chapters and subsections. This makes the book much easier to read and extremely useful for freelancers in need of help on a specific issue. All topics are covered in a table of contents, and each chapter ends with links to relevant sections elsewhere in this book. Aitkens aim with this is for prospective, or established, freelancers to read the book in full first, and then to utilise the book when necessary, following all relevant links in order to answer your question or help with a query. Fact boxes embedded in the text gives the reader more statistics and figures to further their understanding. Figures and diagrams are also useful ways of presenting important information. The accessibility of the text means that Aitkens wish that this book be used more than once is granted.

Aitken has made it clear that this book is a product of, and in part thanks to, his work as an online freelancer. He is honest with his experiences and gives his frank opinions about freelancing in general, freelancing sites, clients and jobs. This will be useful for new freelancers as nothing is sugar coated. While Aitken does not beat around the bush, he genuinely seems to want to help other freelancers and offers up his own advice based on personal experience and from talking to his long-term clients and to other freelancers. Aitkens advice could also be applicable to the world of work in general; do not be rude to your boss (in the online freelancing world that would be your client), do not make excuses and always meet the deadline. However certain guidelines could be seen as unethical: the suggestion of writing articles and saying they have been published when they have not, for example. On the other hand CV padding is not unique to online freelancing, but is universal and perhaps understandable.

There were two sections of the book that I found to be the most illuminating. The first was the section on clients, where there were testimonials from clients that Aitken has worked with, or is still working with. As most of the book is based on his personal journey as a freelancer, it was interesting to hear someone elses opinion. The same is true of the Horror Stories chapter in which Aitken has got in touch with other freelancers, both ex and current, to demonstrate examples of when warning signs were not read, or acknowledged, and the freelancer had to face the consequences. This is helpful in terms of what not to do, and also in reinforcing Aitkens guidelines and advice: if you follow it, and use common sense, you cannot go far wrong.

I received a free advance review copy of this book and all ideas and opinions are honest and completely my own.
2124757
This is a a great book for web hosts and businesses alike that are wanting to resell services or find the type of web hosts best for their business. A practical guide to learning about all the types of web hosts out there, filled with key resources and tips for deciding on a web hosting specialty, improving customer service, and developing business partnerships. Covers many types of technologies, PHP, ASP, JSP, and include security and provider considerations. Alot of material is covered here, all very useful.
4412965
This book is at once quite thorough, practical and easy to read. It does a great job coving important principles and activities that can make individuals, teams and businesses more efficient- by focusing on priorities, developing and delegating, and measuring the *right things* you can be more successful. This book can help.
99839
This is a practical hands-on guide to business transformation for both experienced professionals and those new to the field. The book is clearly organized and steps methodically through best-practice processes and tools gleaned from both academic research and practical experience in the industry. To supplement the foundational theory and pragmatic advice offered, the book also contains numerous case studies that drive the points home and demonstrate how they would be utilized in real-world situations. The work has broad appeal and would be equally suitable as a primer as well as a go-to reference for the seasoned professional. If you're responsible for a large-scale transformation initiative and you can only buy one book, this is the one.

Mark Sifling, Business Transformation Consultant
3009712
I have read dozens, if not hundreds, of books on writing (though not, ironically Stephen King's ON WRITING yet). I can count the ones I think have been truly worth the investment of time it takes to read them on the fingers of one hand. But I found Matt Bird's The Secrets of Story to be densely-packed with practical, useful, helpful, implementable advice. Recommended!
253622
This is an excellent book, which approaches the planning, design, materials and methods of implementation for building facades. This text begins with fundamental principles and project participants, and moves on through in-depth coverage of various styles divided into chapters by the major class of materials that will be utilized.

The writing is straightforward, and comprehensive, while an extensive collection of illustrations that clearly put the subject matter into perspective.

This is a wonderfully assembled, relevant text to compliment an architectural reference library. It is a real meat and potatoes compendium of useful information, which lies at the core of construction innovation.