Although there was some good material on the different psychological levels with which we think about a design, I didn't find this one as interesting as some of his earlier books. The section on the future of robots seems dated and too long.
Why I picked it up: Mark's work has been the standard go-to guide for learning Python for years now. I wanted to see what the new version had to offer.
Why I finished it: No fluffy, contrived examples. Real-world code and concise, clear discussion. And there's no attempt to avoid challenging topics.
I'd give it to: Beginner to intermediate programmers who want to learn Python or improve their existing Python skills and experienced programmers who want to learn about the new features of Python 3.
More details: http://blog.doughellmann.com/2010/01/...
I recommend Citizen Engineer for engineers from all fields who want a better understanding of some of the issues that are driving changes in engineering practices. The clear and concise writing style makes the book an easy read, without glossing over any difficult topics. It does not attempt to provide an exhaustive reference manual, but does give plenty of other resources for future research and reading.
http://blog.doughellmann.com/2009/12/book-review-citizen-engineer.html
Quite good. Even though you know more or less how it turns out, there's still plenty of suspense in the story telling.
Another glimpse of the fantastic world McCaffrey has created in the form of a coming-of-age story. The plot was fairly predictable, and the ending felt a little too well wrapped up to me (all the "good guys" are rewarded). Both criticism may be due to a younger target audience, similar to the Harper Hall trillogy. Overall, though, I enjoyed it.
This was a surprising find in the Athens-Clarke County Public library. It's a novella, republished with lots of artwork around the text (a little distracting, but I got used to it). The plot fills a hole or two in the origin story of Pern, but wouldn't mean a lot to someone who hadn't read several of the other books. Overall, a nice evening's read.