Good, but could use explicit guidelines
595123
Glasser's book is an admirable compilation of the different rules in most of the major countries where reporters would want to operate. It seems to be one of the few books that unifies all the rules for all the different jurisdictions. The book highlights a series of key questions such as the definitions of libel, the abilities of companies to sue on their own behalf or to protect their products, possible restrictions on covering criminal/secret procedures and privacy rules. Drawing on the knowledge of lawyers from the different countries, Glasser organizes their expertise according to these themes.

While the book is very useful and informative, as a reporter I feel it is better reading for news executives rather than the journalists themselves. It would benefit from clear dos and don'ts -- perhaps a list for each country on a single page telling the reader exactly what specific procedures he/she should follow.

But that is a minor point. Overall, it's useful and interesting, and successfully renders complicated legal principles into a straightforward guide.
291946
I was fairly experienced with Adwords when I bought this book, so I skimmed over the simpler how-to stuff. Still, I found the authors did a good job of delivering valuable guidance. For example, every Adwords book should tell you not to stuff a hundred keywords into an ad group. Since this is a big temptation for us PPC junkies, that should be repeated at least three times. The book does a good job of warning you against that and advising you in a comfortable but authoritative manner about advertising on Google's search engine platform.
1330827
Beginner's Chinese has some good points.  It comes with two CDs featuring native speakers -- one for the lessons and one for Chinese syllable practice.  Simplified characters and pinyin are provided together for all material in the book. Each lesson has a good collection of exercises for translation, ad hoc response to questions, and grammar.  A Cultural Insights section that addresses some aspect of Chinese society caps each lesson.  The book has a pinyin-Wade Giles cross reference that is very helpful for English-speaking students.

But there are definitely areas for improvement.  This is a second edition.  The third edition could be a great book.  First, the CDs.  The CDs are indispensable, but each lesson takes up only a bit over three minutes.  No time is left between sentences for the student to practice pronunciation.  (The words can be pronounced if the student hurries.)  And then there is the organization.  On the CDs, first comes vocabulary, then sentence patterns, then conversations.  In the book, the order is sentence patterns, conversations, then vocabulary.  It would be nice if they were consistent and went through the lesson in order.  Much more use could have been made of the CDs, but here we get into a critique of the book itself.

In general, there is not enough practice material.  For example, in each chapter there is a list of "supplementary" words and expressions.  These are not used in the spoken exercises except to pronounce them once on the CD.

In the place of more practice material each chapter has extensive "language points" where the author sometimes belabors subtle linguistic points that, in my opinion, could be done without in an introductory text.  Here also is where speech patterns are discussed. In the actual Sentence Patterns section introducing each lesson, each "pattern" is given once, leaving the student to infer what the patterns are.  Most have the impression that the pattern sentences are just a collection of unique sentences.  Here is where more material should be added by giving additional examples of each pattern where such is possible.

In summary:

1. Remove the "supplementary" words and expressions section and just include it in the lesson vocabulary if individual words are important enough to include.

2. Make explicit what the pattern is for each pattern sentence.

Provide up to ten or twelve examples with each pattern using all the vocabulary introduced to that point.

3. Remove some of the show-off linguistics discussions and save them for a class on Chinese linguistics.

4. Include all the expanded practice material on the CDs with time for the students to repeat each sentence.  Since this may disrupt the continuity of the Conversations, I would suggest recording that section twice: first at normal conversation speed without breaks for comprehension practice; then a second time with a pause after each line so students can practice pronunciation.  If something has to go, do away with the Chinese syllable practice on the second CD, and continue the lessons on that CD.  It's more important for the students to get their syllable practice on their actual vocabulary rather than be able to recite the universe of abstract ba, bo, bi's.

If you are an instructor, realize that you are going to have to make up additional material to provide pattern and "supplementary" vocabulary practice and listen to student complaints about the CDs.  And hope the students don't lose their way or become discouraged trying to plough through the abstruse Language Points.
3317047
Good explanations, unclear about putting into practice. I'd like more practical steps on this new approach to common problems and habits.
2696950
It's a good book, clear and outlines the idea behind it, but i wish they had put in some sample daily menu's to choose from, rather than just recipes. But overall it's a good explanation to how this works.
3698452
The information in the book is good and I have many takeaways which I plan to use in mine and my family's nutritional strategy. Author touches on a lot of other ways that one can be exposed to contaminates that may lead to the overabundance of estrogen in the body but doesn't elaborate enough on how to avoid those. A section on this would have been nice to see; for example the fact that almost all canned food products use a lining that includes Bisphenol A. Also have to agree that the organization could be a little better. One suggestion is a listing of all of the different food types associated with each phase of his diet in one place. I had to scan the book to create a list of these myself. I don't plan to implement his diet exactly right now but am implementing a lot of things to see about results which may lead me to reconsider following his to a "T" so I can get even better results.
1820181
This book gives very clear instructions on how to progressively increase distractions and reduce rewards. If you use negative reinforcement or positive punishment in your training, you may find some of the author's comments rather silly (e.g., when comparing food rewards to e-collar training she claims an e-collar only works when the dog is wearing it (which is not really true due to the "habit of cooperation" she talks about in a later chapter), but says "Access to those cookies in your fridge? Yep, you have access to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.") I would have been interested in more discussion about why the author doesn't believe corrections work, but what there is is trite.  My personal experience is that using all the learning quadrants is more effective than what she describes and makes things clearer and easier for the dog.
2317234
Let me start by saying that overall I would recommend this book. I really enjoyed its format, with actionable items in each chapter.

It is however not without flaws. I knocked down half a star for some odd editing choices regarding nutrition. The so-called 'Universal Nutrition Principles' are spread out through out the book, and I think the book would have benefited if they were kept together in a single chapter, or at least summarized at first .

My biggest concern though was related to the treatment of tobacco. It seemed to me like the author was rationalizing and/or justifying his use of tobacco. Chapter 6 starts with a quote 'the problem with tobacco is inhaling it' but halfway through the chapter the author admits that even though the patch is safest/cleanest way, 'the ritual and a lot of the fun is lost'. I believe it would have been wiser to stick by the advice of his editors: DON'T.
1192418
This book is good in its underlying theme -- take antioxidants b-carotene, vit C, vit E to counter free radical damage -- but, evidently, its specific recommendations are outdated.  Two sets of antioxidant dosages are  recommended, a small dose for "health and longevity" exercisers,  and a large dose for "athletic" exercisers, where the dividing  line between types of exercisers is 50 aerobics points per week.  Dr  Cooper's latest recommendations, which can be found at cooperwellness.com,  change the small and large dosages, and the dividing line has been changed  to 150 aerobics points per week.
4391373
I like the style of this book.  It's got a nice graphic look, and the writing is easy to understand and has a friendly tone.  The examples are laid out very well - new code is highlighted with red text, which is very helpful.  I really like the approach of gradually adding more elements to CSS, explaining each as you go.  And finally, I like the overall structure, which is to explain the "standard" way of doing something, then explain why that's not the best approach, and then to present the "bulletproof" way of doing the same thing.

However, I'm not sure I buy the author's suggestion that it's imperative to move from old-style HTML markup to a CSS-oriented approach.  His main argument is that there is usually less code, and it's easier to read a page using a cell phone, or some other non-browser device.  Also, he feels that users should be able to change text size in their browser, and the page should smoothly adjust to that.

This is all true, of course.  Smaller code is easier to read (which is helpful only to the developer), and it does download quicker (although most of the bandwidth consumed is usually graphics and the like, not HTML).  Certainly it's a good idea to structure a page so a blind person can read it using a special device.  And finally, it's a nice thing to be able to adjust the size of the text on a page.

On the other hand, there are still many problems with using CSS so it works across all browsers.  The book describes many workarounds, but to me, the fact that you need these workarounds really raises the question of whether it's "better" to switch to this new style.  It's a question each developer will have to think about.
3593790
Good book, but I believe the authors could have dedicated a little bit more on the framework/methodology/tool. Perhaps also some examples !
1861326
A good guiding book, but still it depends on actual situation.
4384843
While many of the techniques presented in this slim volume are entirely worthwhile and of great value in making oneself clear and defusing potentially tense communications, I still disagree with some of the author's fundamental categorization of "needs."  While it may be useful, or even necessary under certain circumstances, to address the desires of another person in addition to, or even perhaps prior to, their needs, I continue to maintain that there is an important distinction to be made between genuine human needs and mere desires, and that kowtowing excessively to the desires of others, while entirely likely to smooth out an otherwise difficult conversation, is of limited value in the long-term.  Reinforcing the legitimacy, to say nothing of the primacy, of such desires can go quite a way toward reifying them in the minds of their holders, and thence to create an increased sense of entitlement.  All that said, I still find the techniques described to be extremely useful, especially in such cases as "arguing about the toothpaste" when there is clearly a deeper and more important issue underlying a given conflict.  What flaws there are, in many instances, are more the flaws of novice to intermediate practitioners of NVC rather than of the author himself, as is shown in many of the included examples.
470646
This is a very good book.  It's filled with examples and advice that is very helpful.  But for a guy who tries to have so much knowledge he misses one of the simplest rules of etiquette:  he offends his readers.  How, you ask?  He breaks a very old and simple rule when dealing with people which is to be careful not to do something that may be offensive or you will lose some of your audience.  He does that by using foul language.

Now you might think that it's no big deal.  In fact, you might even use that type of language yourself.  But that is your choice.  The point is that many people, even some who use that language, are offended when someone they don't know use it, especially when it's used freely as this author does.  It's not like he just hit his thumb with a hammer.

This is a book written over time, reviewed, edited, considered and reconsidered before it was released.  Both the author and editor make a fatal error in leaving that language in the book. The book would lose nothing without that language.  No one is offended because you don't swear.  But some people may be offended if you do.  Quite frankly, the use of the language shows this author is still very young and has a lot of maturing to do.

This is sad because other than that, the book is very good.
3882296
This book gave me a good understanding of the methodology of ASP.NET as well as the concepts behind it. The organization of the book is good for someone new to ASP.NET and C# as it starts simple and proceeds forward in a logical manner to more complex topics.

However, I agree with a previous reviewer that an updated version or an errata page on the publisher's web site are sorely needed. This too kept me from giving it 5 stars.

This book was started with a pre-release of Visual Studio. NET 2002 so the example code won't match the code you generate yourself; most people should be able to figure out which parts of the sample code are relevent. A few of the samples won't work as-is but that shouldn't stop experienced programmers from figuring out how to get it to work.
929320
This thick book is well-organized and makes a good reference for people who are already pretty familiar with iTunes and iPods.  I probably would give it 3 stars for them, though.

For people who are not already familiar with iTunes and with integrating it with your iPod, this book is detailed and descriptive and quite helpful.

I love Apple products, but I don't always find them terribly intuitive to use (I know that practically heretical to say!)  Most things seem to *become* intuitive after finally discovering either that you can do something, or figuring out how.  It's that in-between stage, where "everything seems so easy for people who already know it but wow, I can't figure it out myself" that is frustrating, and this book is very helpful in that.

I found myself mentioning a couple of things that I was thrilled to learn to my family, and most of the time they stared at me and said, "I could have told you THAT."  <sigh>
4262491
Christine Carter has a lot of good advice and suggestions but I have a few issues with this book that could greatly improve its effectiveness and efficiency, i.e. could help this book find its Sweet Spot.

First, there are too many examples of each problem that a certain chapter is covering, along with too many references from other self help books. You will find the phrase "As (insert self help author's name here) says in his / her book (insert book title here)" followed by a quote or section from said book, crops up many times throughout Christine's writing. In a book that attempt to deal with overwhelm, the amount of information Christine tries to cram into each Chapter overwhelms the reader.

Second, and following on from the first point, the number of suggestions to resolve the issues can also be numerous, and spread throughout the many pages of each Chapter. Which leads me onto;

Third. What is sorely missing is a summary of the salient points and suggested actions at the end of each Chapter. Yes there is a "Simplest thing to do" type statement for each Chapter but that's it. Given the amount of problems and solutions she has discussed in the Chapter, a summary would be far more effective wrap up to ensure the reader "gets the point"

So, in summary, I'm not saying Don't Buy This, the book contains a lot of information and great suggestions on how to improve your quality of life both across work and home. But be prepared to do quite a bit of work to get the nuggets out of the volume of detail! Better editing and structure would get this 4 to 5 stars from me.