Blogcritics Category: Books: Reference

Book Review: The Flat Belly Diet by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass

Robin Kavanagh — Wed, 7 Jan 2009 09:22:33 EST

This skeptic is swayed by a diet that makes sense and is flexible enough for even the most time-crunched life.
Diets are not my thing. I'm a picky eater with some dietary restrictions, and most diets out there are heavy with foods that I either can't stomach or don't like. This makes sticking to these diets hard. Add to that my own concerns about the healthfulness of restricting certain foods and eating more of others, and you've got a recipe for a Grade-A...

Book Review: Algorithms in a Nutshell by George T. Heineman, Gary Pollice, and Stanley Selkow

Fitz — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 00:00:18 EST

More Tools for the Software Developer.
In my career as a software engineer, my job is always more a process of finding a particular solution in a particular context to solve a particular problem. Easy enough, right? Just have to have the right tools and the right parts to get from point A to point B.Well, you don't always have an easy time finding the right tools or the right parts....

Book Review: 24 - The Official CTU Operations Manual by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese

Mary K. Williams — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 16:58:47 EST

Contains the sections one might expect to find: Interrogation, Surveillance, Combat.
I just realized something folks; I could have been working at CTU. Where does this wistful and slightly remorseful statement come from? In 24: The Official CTU Operations Manual there is brief description of offices and facilities at the Los Angeles campus, including the CTU Walsh Memorial Library. “…one of the most extensive...

Book Review: The Little Man In The Map - With Clues To Remember All 50 States by E. Andrew Martonyi

Jennifer Bogart — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:58:08 EST

Need to memorize the names and locations of all 50 U.S. states? Having trouble? Young or old - here's your answer, hands down.
Some Canadians have an excellent understanding of the geography of the United States. Sadly, until recently I have not been amongst their numbers. That all changed for me after reading The Little Man In The Map. While it’s true that this title was created to help school-aged children memorize all 50 states through the use of mnemonic stories,...

Book Review: Know It All - The Little Book of Essential Knowledge by Susan Aldridge, Elizabeth King Humphrey, and Julie Whitake

Fitz — Fri, 5 Dec 2008 03:51:17 EST

Test YOUR knowledge of nine major subject areas! (Including bumblebee bats and ball bearings to boot.)
While reading Know It All: The Little Book of Essential Knowledge by by Susan Aldridge, Elizabeth King Humphrey, and Julie Whitake, it quickly became very apparent that I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did. Even with all the trivia floating around in my brain, this book contains more useful facts in a quick, all in one place, easy to...

Book Review: Raucous Royals - Test Your Royal Wits: Crack Codes, Solve Mysteries, And Deduce Which Royal Rumors Are True by Carlyn Beccia

Jennifer Bogart — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:17:25 EST

Catherine the Great didn't die beneath her horse? Oh dear - looks like I've been guilty of spreading a 200-years-old rumor.
Rumors about royalty are nothing new. The bread and butter of English tabloids, rumours concerning the royal family often make it to the cover pages of our very own trash papers here across the pond. You may be surprised to learn that some rumours concerning royalty -- hundreds of years old -- have been accepted into the general body of historical...

Book Review: Pragmatic Thinking and Learning - Refactor Your Wetware by Andy Hunt

Fitz — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:57:40 EST

Streamline your thinking!
It's rare that I read nonfiction these days that is worth reviewing. Most nonfiction to me simply consists of reference material, examples, and step-by-step instructions to help in a given field of study. As a software engineer, I often find myself digging into a particular book for an example or a hint as to how to implement a piece of code....

Book Review: John Lennon - The Life by Philip Norman

Glen Boyd — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:33:29 EST

Author Philip Norman attempts -- and succeeds -- in writing the final, definitive word on one of the twentieth century's most iconic figures.
Not before or since has there ever been a musical group -- rock and roll or otherwise -- that the world's media has followed with the same determination that it once did with the Beatles. And while all of the fab four provided journalists, both legitimate and otherwise, with more than enough ammunition to feed their reporting, none of them gave...

Book Review: Intellectual Property and Open Source: A Practical Guide to Protecting Code by Van Lindberg

Nathaniel Edwards — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:44:07 EST

Computers are still pretty young on the judicial time scale, but Intellectual Property and Open Source helps cut through the rhetorical Pablum of Legalese.
Intellectual property is an increasingly important part of our economy, and computer code in particular is presenting IP laws a serious challenge. Is code functional or expressive? Should it be covered by a patent or a copyright? What rights do we consumers have when we purchase a piece of computer software? Intellectual Property and Open Source: A...

Book Review: The Boomer Burden: Dealing With Your Parents' Lifetime Accumulation of Stuff by Julie Hall

Violet Nesdoly — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:04:53 EST

If you�re a boomer with or without failing parents, you need this book.
In The Boomer Burden - Dealing With Your Parents' Lifetime Accumulation of Stuff, Julie Hall, a.k.a. The Estate Lady, shares expertise gained during seventeen years spent working in estate liquidation. As a professional estate contents' expert and certified personal property appraiser she is well qualified to give advice. It is not only welcome,...