MCTS Implementing and Maintaining Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Exam: 70-431 Exam Cram, by Thomas Moore

Another cramming book for Microsoft exam 70-431 written in a concise & logical manner as a only database book probably could be. After looking at the Microsoft exam syllabus I wonder why the authors chose to structure the book the way they did because the syllabus seemed more logical & I ended up shuffling my notes into the Microsoft structure. In particular, for me the book would have benefitted from bringing all the various tools used under one section (or appendix), though I suppose that's up to the individual & their exam technique. However it has excellent points of interest highlighted throughout & the practice exams are very good, & it helped me successfully get through the exam.
3/5

MCSD Analyzing Requirements and Defining .NET Solution (Exam Cram 2), by Randy Cornish, et al

A book for cramming Microsoft exam 70-300 written in a likeable enough manner but I got confused when various topics were repeated throughout the chapters. I realised that the level of detail for these topics increased as the book wore on but unfortunately it was never completely clear what the thresholds for the level of detail were. I think the book could have benefitted from more closely following the Microsoft exam syllabus because I ended up referring to it to fix each of the development stages in my mind. The book might have ended up being much more concise than it was as well, nevertheless it did help me to pass the exam so it did its job.
2/5

The Great Crash, 1929, by John Kenneth Galbraith

A topical read of the seminal work on the 1929 crash written in a lively & engaging style. It describes the gathering sense of foreboding followed by the panic of the collapse that occurred in the Autumn of 1929. It puts the crash into the context of the wider American economy & society, describing the people it affected, directly & indirectly, & it also touches on the crash's influence on the Depression that followed it. Understandably quite a lot of technical economic information & terms, some of which went over my head, although the author does a decent job at describing them. The book obviously describes events that occurred nearly 80 years ago but it's arguably never been more relevant in these volatile times, & some of the parallels with now are quite hair-raising!
3/5