Professional Books

Being interested in innovation and entrepreneurship I was looking forward to reading this book, and I was not disappointed at all. It is well written, holds the attention, and paints the picture well of James Dyson's life and what it took for him to become a successful inventor, designer and businessman. It is full of very useful information and insights of what worked and the many things and actions that didn't work for him in his early business ventures. A very good role model for any inventor or entrepreneur looking to know what it takes to be successful.

His tenacity in getting the cleaner to market is a lesson for us. Many of his observation such as - Engineering is a state of mind, only by remaining as close as possible to pure function of the object that beauty can be achieved, creativity does not arise by staring at an empty board etc etc is of much food for thought. Loved it.

A good book for anyone who enjoys biographies by entrepreneurs. Not too long and not too much back patting. Some invaluable advice was shared. I came away with a good appreciation of the struggle to survive and then succeed.

I work for Dyson US and this book is something we give to every new employee. When I got my copy I read it in about 8 hours- I couldn't put it down! It's a great "story" and although he speaks mostly about the "invention" process and the obstacles he faced, you still get a great feeling for who James is as a person. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I've read many books on business, having started and now running a successful business for 12 years, this book describes EXACTLY what it is like to start/run your own business. There are a host of books out there on the theoretical aspects of business, i.e. business plan, financing (blah blah), however they don't touch on the essence of this completely nerve racking, friendship killing, desperate struggle of a process. Starting a business, is not a journey it's an odyssey. Reading Dysons book takes you along for the ride. I can't say this book is for everyone, simply because so few people choose this direction to follow and succeed, but if you do, this book should be read many times. It will also give hope to the person of average intelligence, as I believe, Dyson conveys he is not a genious, he simply doesn't give up, ever.

This is a very comprehensive, and well-organized security assessment book for Software engineers. Yes, it has everything - all done well. If you are into security assessment and testing and live by it every day, you are still bound to learn a lot, to re-evaluate the things you know, and to genuinely improve your results. If you are a software engineer, it *will* help you build superior applications. If you are just an security enthusiast, you will genuinely enjoy the time spent with this book, and you will find this brick handy more often than previously imagined.

This book is absolutely amazing. The amount of detail they go into for so many subjects -- it's incredible. I particularly enjoyed the section on network protocols. I recommend this to any software engineer -- not just those in security specific positions.

Great job, and I hope to enjoy more material from these wonderful authors!

A must have. Being a security researcher for almost ten years now, and already a CISSP holder, there are times you believe you have seen most of the things, and you know the best of them. This book opens a new way of thinking, it's detailed and accurate and goes in depth on every subject.

A real must have.

Nicolas Krassas, CISSP

This book is The Bible for anyone in the security vulnerability research or security software engineering field. I haven't bought a book and studied it so much before ever. This is one book that will never be off my desk.

The authors of this book are some of the most respected in vulnerability research and theory, and have found many bugs that were years ahead of their time. As expected, they deliver on their prior reputation in this great and incredibly expansive book of knowledge and insight.

If you're tired of reading high-level theoretical books about "building security in" written by people who have no clue what a bug is or how to prevent them, this book is the ideal alternative.

For a hobbyist, it will guide you through practical methodologies about how bug hunting is done and teach you to think like a great vulnerability researcher.

For a developer, it will open your eyes to security oversights in most of the pieces of code you have ever written. Read hard, these bug classes affect the products you are shipping today.

For the security professional, this likely goes not only broader but deeper on lots of issues than you have ever looked, and far beyond any book I've seen. It can be used as page to page read, or a great reference. I personally use it all the time, and have definitely learnt from it. Great job guys!

P.S. Try and spot the 0day.

Like my title of the review reads, if you have computer science background and just starting with PERL, this is the book for you. It teaches PERL the way computer science people are taught programming languages like C, FORTRAN etc. Starts with basics and proceeds in systematic and logical way. It is an easy read and will get you up and running in less than 2 days.

I know several programming languages and wanted to use Perl on my website. Within days I was able to take existing scripts and modify them to use on my site. I was able to generate several program to help maintain the site within weeks. Great book!

This is the first and from what I found "ONLY" book for a novice. I have read numerous titles on Perl and was always left with basic questions. If you want to understand Perl, read this book.

I read Beginning Perl, 2nd Ed (BP2E) to gain some familiarity with Perl 5. I do not plan to really write anything in Perl, but I find myself using other people's code quite a bit! In those situations I would like to know how the code works. I also enjoy being able to make small changes if the code does not work as expected. Perl is basically everywhere, so it pays to understand it to some degree.

James Lee's book is excellent from start to finish. I found his explanations very clear and his writing style lively. He covered just about everything I hoped to read in a book of roughly 400 pages. The book is ideal for the self-educated since it contains exercises with answers in the back. I personally enjoyed learning more about regular expressions in Ch 7, since PCRE is an important part of several network security tools.

It is easy to take a good programming book for granted. I have started and stopped reading several other books written to teach programming because their style is terrible and the assumptions they make confuse the beginner. BP2E is always conscious of what the reader has already seen. The author makes it clear when a briefly mentioned topic will be more thoroughly explained later in the book. Plenty of technical authors could learn from this example.

Even if you plan to read the author's new book -- Beginning Perl 6 (or BP3E) -- you may want to read BP2E. Perl 5 will be with us for many more years, so it pays to understand the material in BP2E. (It's possible that BP3E could demonstrate Perl 5 and 6 syntax, but I doubt it.)

Beginning Perl is a great introduction and resource. It does assume the reader has some basic prior programming experience, but either way it is very logical and easy to follow. The book is well-organized so that you can easily find what you need. There are tips and shortcuts strategically placed throughout the book to help you along the way.

I bought this book very recently, having no prior experience with Perl. I had seen a couple of scripts that other people had written, but since I have minimal programming experience I could only somewhat figure out what they were intended for.

I read the first chapter of Beginning Perl (11 pages), and read bits and pieces of the second chapter (37 pages). Then I began writing my first Perl scripts, using the book primarily for reference. It makes a great reference tool because the index is very thorough and the examples are easy to understand without necessarily reading the entire book in order. About 3 hours ago I couldn't have told you what a subroutine was or how to create a hash, but now I have completed my first interactive program using subroutines, hashes, various types of loops, error-checking, etc. That would have taken me weeks to learn if I had not discovered this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning Perl.

I was deeply impressed with the balanced approach Larry Burkett has for doing business from a Biblical worldview. I am purchasing copies as gifts.

We liked this book so much, we bought it for my father-in-law who just started his business. If you have a burden to approach your business with Christ at the center, read this book!

I handed this book to my project managers and am already experiencing a ground swell of blessing. The late great Larry Burkett lays the prinicles out in an easy to understand and thoughtful way. I would highly, highly recommend this book if you are interested in doing Business the way God intended.

THE AUTHOR COVERS BUSINESS PRINCIPLES IN A MANNER THAT YOU DONT COVER IN ANY BA OR MBA PROGRAM THAT I EVER HEARD. DEFINETELY WORTH THE READ!

This book is not for someone wanting to get rich quick! If you are a Christian business owner wanting to run your business according to God's word, this book explains God's word and gives helpful tips to follow through with His word.

I first rented this book from the library, it was such a help and packed with so much information that I decided to purchase a copy to have at my finger tips at all times. It's filled with all kinds of information for any cook not just party information. Excellent book.

Denise Vivaldo has done it again with a party book that actually gives practical, step-by-step directions. So many books look great, but when you read through them, they are just fluff. Not Denise. Her book spells everything out in detail--even to the point of telling you how to fix burned food, overcooked vegetables, lumpy gravy, etc. Let's face it--mistakes happen. What can we do now??

I also really appreciated her correct table layouts for those of us, like myself, who are "table setting challenged." Oh, so that's where the bread plate goes!

I am looking forward to trying out her recipes. They look wonderful.

I love this book, it has a wealth of useful information with an excellent format. If you purchase this book, you will not be dissapointed.

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

from The Orange County Register
January 25, 2007

I am not a football fan. My idea of a super bowl is my mother's Val St. Lambert. But I do love a party, so if my centerpiece has to be the TV, hey, think of what I'm saving on flowers!

My Superbowl guest list is growing each day, and I'm getting nervous. Just how much food do I need for a crowd? And then there's the expense. Not to worry. With Denise Vivaldo's cookbook and catering guide "Do It For Less! Parties" I know I can throw a bash that won't stress me out and won't break the bank.

"People are not used to cooking in quantities," said Vivaldo, a classically trained chef and caterer, whose company, Food Fanatics, specializes in recipe development, consulting, and food styling for print, film and television. "It freaks them out to see how much food they've got. Is it enough? It is too much?" This book eliminates the guesswork with recipes given in chart form for 12, 25, 50 or 75 guests. "Remember, the more things you have on the menu, the smaller the portions you need to serve," Vivaldo advised.

But how much will this party cost, I wonder. "When people entertain, they spend a lot of money instead of keeping it simple," Vivaldo noted. "If you're having a lot of people, you don't have to offer a complete bar. Why not make one kind of drink, say Cosmopolitans, and add something non-alcoholic and some water and you've got it."

This seasoned professional, who has catered 10,000 parties (serving the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bette Midler and Prince Charles), reveals her tricks of the trade for everything from planning the menu to napkin folding.

"When we're entertaining, we're all our own harshest critics," she said. "But if someone else has set the table, the simplest meal is divine."

Vivaldo offers nine complete party themes, each with a menu, shopping list, decorating ideas (including invitations, table linens, favors and entertainment), time- and money-saving tips, an equipment list and a menu countdown, so you're not doing everything at the last minute.

"You don't need to spend a lot of money on matching linens," Vivaldo advised. "Look around your house. Everything doesn't have to match. Be creative. You can use a Mexican serape or even $10 sheets from Target. People don't come to your home to see your couch. They come for the company and a glass of wine."

For Superbowl I'll score with the Toscana menu: Classic Caesar Salad, Chilled Penne Pasta with Pesto and Pine Nuts, Italian Meatball Lasagna, Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce, Tiramisu, and Chocolate Almond Biscotti. Touchdown!

Vivaldo's game plan makes it all simple, starting with shopping for non-perishables the week before. I see two days before the game I can prepare the gnocchi dough and biscotti, with the bulk of the cooking the following day. On party day I have only to cook the gnocchi, reheat the lasagna and gnocchi sauce, toss the salad and brew coffee. Then I can relax and enjoy the game. Or you enjoy the game and I'll enjoy you!

"People make themselves crazy when they entertain," Vivaldo reflected. "If you could enjoy yourself more, you would do it more often."

CHILLED PENNE PASTA WITH PESTO AND PINE NUTS
from "Do It For Less! Parties" (Terrace) by Denise Vivaldo

1 1/2 pounds penne pasta (uncooked)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
4 cups fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup walnuts
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta in batches until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, being careful not to overcook. Drain. Drizzle with a little olive oil if needed to keep from sticking.
2. Process basil leaves, olive oil, walnuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper with a food processor until mixture forms a coarse paste. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Toss cooked pasta and pesto together in a large mixing bowl (in batches if needed for manageability). Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.
3. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serves 12 (options for 25, 50 and 75 in the book)

This has got EVERYTHING in it, no joke. From locations to amounts of food you need per persong at any party....budget pages... SO USEFUL! i am never going to let this book go! if you are thinking about getting it...don't bother...JUST DO IT!

Good balance between a reference book and one to learn from. I agree with most of the other reviews. The organization is great and progressive.

This book is very suitable for readers who already have some programming experience on other languages. It positions right there between beginner level and advanced topics. It also makes perfect balance between tutorial and reference book. It is one of the best C# books that I have read so far.

Overall this is a very good book for both beginners and advanced C# programmers. I would like to rate it 5-stars, however, I found the examples with some errors. The editing team should put more effort on reviewing the examples. Eventhough, I still recommend this book.

Hi Everyone;

I've read many C# books and I love this book. Mark's approach and ease of communicating a point, is great. There are many people who are very knowledgable, but have no skill of teaching a subject. As if they have closed their ears and kept talking.
I actually look forward to reading the next page/chapter, rather than see if I'm done.

Highly recommended!
..Ben

Even if I rated 5 out of 5, the book contains a lot of *very serious mistakes* in the code samples (I have found out more than 10). I'd like to think they are typo mistakes, and the code does not contain what the author intended to write. A very bad rate for the reviewers, who either do not know C#, or they did not review the code samples at all.

This is a great, straightforward reference. It covers everything any person needs to know about dining etiquette without any useless "filler" material. The audio format is great and the speaker is one of the best I have listen to.

After a few months as a first year associate at my law firm, one of my former law school classmates told me that their firm had sent its new associates to an etiquette class. I decided that it might be a good idea for me to brush up on my etiquette skills as well, so I purchased this CD and also the Food Scholar Wine Basics CD. I recommend both for new professionals to prepare them for any "dining" situation they may encounter in their first jobs. These situations frequently fall into the "you don't know what you don't know" category of student knowledge.

I, for one, had very little experience in more formal dining situations upon graduating from school. This CD was just what I needed to get myself up-to-speed. It is well-organized and well-presented, covering a number of very specific situations that convey the elements of common sense and consideration that underlie all etiquette.

The author thankfully avoids spending time on how to arrange the seating at a state dinner. What he offers is practical, usable advice on the types of real social interactions that occur in all kinds of business. A very useful CD and well worth the price. Definitely five stars.

I will be graduating from college this year and have started to interview for jobs. I have a decent GPA, am in the career placement office every week for advice, and have spent hours polishing my resume. I thought that I had all my bases covered. Then I started actually interviewing for jobs. I have already had three interviews that included meals and two "mixers" with drinks and appetizers. It was a little overwhelming. I could tell there was an order to things I did not completely understand. A friend recommended this Dining Etiquette CD, so I ordered it. I had yet another meal during an interview after listening to it. It made a big difference. Knowing what to do at every turn during the meal was a confidence booster and I am sure it helped me appear more polished and professional. I HIGHLY recommend it, Two Thumbs Up.

A good etiquette book should sit on every professional's bookshelf alongside "how to win friends" and "7 habits." I purchased this book along with Essential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 2: Wine Selection & Etiquette and The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success to cover all the bases. These books do an excellent job covering the important etiquette skills often overlooked in today's environment. Although often underappreciated, exhibiting proper etiquette signals to others (especially your boss and clients) that you are well educated, care about detail, and have respect for others. I highly recommend these books for anyone new to the business world or for those of us who may need to brush up on the basics.

The last book on CD my wife and I bought was terrible: mens' voices for female characters, etc. And what's the alternative on the radio? Pop music or Howard Stern? I spend twenty percent of my waking life in my car. I might as well spend it wisely. The Food Scholar is easy listening and presented in a way that makes the information easy to learn and remember.

I'm the pastor of a Wesleyan church in the US and I have been learning to pray the Daily Office - morning and evening prayer. This little book is great for a travel prayer book, as it is smaller and much less complicated than the Benedictine Daily Prayer.

As a protestant, I have to adjust some of the wording about Mary and the saints, but that is a small sacrifice for the joy of praying with the larger church throughout history!

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who seeks to deepen his or her experience of God through dedicated times of prayer each day!

This book is a perfect introduction into the liturgy of prayer. It is basically a simplified version of the Liturgy of the Hours (simplified in complexity, not content). Each day of the week has morning and evening prayer. There are also prayers for mid-morning, noon, afternoon and evening. Also included is a very nice selection of traditional prayers (the Creed, Act of Contrition, etc.) as well as prayers for various occasions. At the end of the book there is a selection of quotes from the Rules of St. Benedict.

This prayer book is put out by the Benedictine community of Glenstal Abbey in Ireland. The book is a slim volume and is easily carried around. It is perfect for someone (like myself) who wants to develop the habit of prayer and needs a nice introduction to it. There is only one ribbon to move around and it just goes from one day of the week to another. The prayers and liturgies are fairly short and can be done in five or ten minutes. The prayers for mid-morning, etc., are perfect for doing in your car before or after lunch (in the parking lot, not propped up on your steering wheel).

If you are looking for a great tool to help you develop the habit of prayer and that is easy to incorporate into your home and work life, this is it.

Simple reverant prayers in the Benedictine tradition that brings the holy to the every day. A wonderful book to bring along whenever one is seeking a practice to remember the art of spiritual surrender.

The secular prayerful person may find in this prayer book a schema of prayer accessible to and useful for the person who cannot give up their day job for contemplative purposes. I keep a copy on my prayer table at all times, and find it very useful for constant prayer.

Unlike other such Books of Common Prayer or Monastic Diurnals, it is not overwhelming in its requirements. It gently and lightly suggests a system of prayer for every day of the week, and for the holidays, morning and evening, following the traditional monastic format which dates back before Saint Benedict. No wonder as Glenstal is a Benedictine Abbey.

It also includes much of the traditional prayers once so well known but now difficult to locate, in a very useful and handy lay out. Many of those traditional prayers heard at your grandmother-s knee and not heard since but cherished in memory are represented here, as well as suggestions for prayers at every occassion of the day.

Highly recommended for anyone wishing to introduce regular prayer into their lives (or the life which God has so generously lent to us) as a centering worship of recollection and peace in God-s love. An urgently necessary element of any prayerful life.

I have been looking for a good benedictine prayer book that is easy to follow, and practical for my Oblate studies, and the Glenstal book fits the bill. The monks of Glenstal really put clever thought in putting together this book of prayer for non-monks. Thank you for an excellent tool for lay-monastics, and anyone interested in a solid book of christian prayer.

This is a great book for anyone who is looking to start their own business and has all the skills they need but just needs a little push and motivation to go off on their own. It is a quick read and isn't written to talk over you. The concepts are simple and things that I have heard before but I like the way they are compiled in this book. It also helps hearing from someone who has made the jump to set out on their own and has been successful.

Michael Katz' extraordinary book is informative, exciting, magnificent, fun, funny and incomparable. It is consistent with his e-newsletter: Filled with engaging messages that are as enjoyable as they are insightful, "ISBW" is a rare combo that few can pull off. Buy it, read it, enjoy it! Then read it again, enjoy it again... and buy it again! Worth every pence.

Michael Katz is a pro and this book is a fun, breezy read, and you can't "beat" the title. Some of the stuff seemed familiar from his blog but it has more heft all bound together in a book. He really has thrived as a "first-time, mid-life, solo professional" and gives others hope that they can do so as well. I ordered this book after getting the first three chapters for free via his blog, and then a follow-up email from Michael. He practices what he preaches (give stuff away with a personal touch).

So many books about business lessons are a struggle to plow through - they tend to be full of statistics and the authors often full of themselves. Michael's book is a quick read with funny, apt anecdotes from his life - like Lesson #10 and the old man with the tea. What a great, simple story from his personal life with a crystal-clear message that we can all use. I was making notes to myself at the end of each chapter about something I could do to grow our business or reputation - or just make my job more enjoyable. It's also a great book for anyone who's been considering quitting their job and starting something on their own -- but needs either encouragement or a push!

Michael Katz, in his book "It Sure Beats Working: 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for the First-time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional", made me feel as if I was involved in a personal conversation with the author through his journey towards becoming a solo professional. While reading, I laughed and shook my head in affirmation while Katz recounted stories which included starting a business, and the lessons he learned while growing his business. Katz candidly divulges his true feelings and experiences, while letting the reader learn from his trials and successes.

Michael began his adult life as most of us do, graduating collage and working for a large corporation. As many working professionals can relate, he discovered working in a large company was not his true direction in life. If you are stuck in a cubicle hard at work and are trying to avoid the political drama at work, you will share his angst when he speaks of attending unproductive meetings and his yearning to leave a boring job.

Katz attained his goal of leaving his "secure" job with a large company and striking out on his own. If you are thinking of leaving your job, or you have recently joined the ranks of solo professional, this book is a must for you. The greatest benefit to the reader is the authors ability to candidly tell us his experience, and make the reader realize he is not alone in his struggle to make it in the world as a solo professional.

Since I am also a mid-life individual who changed course in his professional life, I felt as if he was speaking directly to me, although I can't relate to his struggle with baldness. My hair is all there, but has turned gray.

The chapter I enjoy most is entitled "Become a Leading Expert in Something". Michael Katz is an expert in development of electronic newsletters, and one day found himself with a client who was a life coach. This life coach had lived the majority of her life with chronic illness, but had not capitalized on her uniqueness in raising a family and building a successful career while battling this illness. Michael while consulting with the life coach on a newsletter was able to refocus her efforts and declare her new expertise. Now the life coach can be defined as an expert in the field of thriving in the workplace while having a chronic illness.

If you are on the fence thinking of starting your own business you will enjoy his "10 Really Good Reasons to Quit Your Job and Start Your Own Business". Some of the top ten reasons I enjoyed include: dancing to your own music, never having to retire, and finding your purpose.

This book is typical Michael Katz, funny, informative, and a great read. Although his book focuses on the solo professional, much of his advice transcends the sol proprietor and is good advice in being successful in both your personal and business life.

Kevin Sheehan has simplified the great qualities of important leaders and placed them in an entertaining text. A gift which I have passed on to my dearest friends, this book is both inspirational and educational. My highest recommendation.

Poignant, powerful stories. Beautifully written with a distinctive and important design. This book's not to be missed--by you, your friends, your business colleagues. Bravo!

Within his book A Leader Becomes A Leader, Kevin Sheehan delightfully illustrates the essence of true leadership. He poignantly definies a diverse group of past and present leaders; while exploring their life events and characteristics of greatness. Encourage your friends, family and coworkers to read this motivational book!

The author does a phenomenal job of breaking the topic down into small manageable and inspiring readings; also covers a great cross-section of leaders and the characteristics that made them successful. I ordered a dozen copies as executive and motivational gifts.

J. Kevin Sheehan presents a celebration of what's possible in his biographical snapshots of great leaders. By focusing on the unique character traits of outstanding leaders the author transforms the mysteries of leadership into something very real. He answers the question "what made them great?" in an extremely concise and inspirational style. Great as a corporate gift or graduation present. My children have used it for school projects and I have found inspiration for my own business. No home or school library should be without this most valuable tool.