Book Review: Best Kept Secrets in .NET

I completed reading this book over the weekend. Rather than do an overall review, I will do a chapter-by-chapter review.

·        Chapter 1:Hidden Treasure in Visual Studio

o       I really enjoyed reading this chapter.  The chapter moved fast and hit you with lots and lots of tips, all worth knowing.  I knew most of them though.  I did pick up a few new ones that I added to my toolbox of tricks.  This is a great chapter for a beginner or for someone who has been using the IDE for 6 months to a year.

·        Chapter 2:  Doing Windows Forms

o       I also enjoyed this chapter, mainly because I am working on a Windows Form application right.  A lot of good tips and design suggestions.  This is a great chapter for a beginner or for someone who has been using the IDE for 6 months to a year.

·        Chapter 3:  Code Tricks

o       Lots of good information in this chapter.  I use most of these tips already, though; once again I did pick up a few along the way.

·        Chapter 4: Much ADO

o       I was disappointed with this chapter.  I really did not see that many tips or tricks, though I am an intermediate to advanced ADO.NET.  Perhaps this is why I did not learn that much in this chapter.

·        Chapter 5: Defensive Development

o       I struggled with reading this chapter.  Mainly because it was more about design and development that it was about tips and tricks in .NET. I am not sure how this chapter fits into this book, or why it was included.

Overall, this is a good read for a junior to intermediate .NET developer.  If you have been working with .NET for 6 months to a year, pick this one up.  If you have been working with .NET for longer than a year or 2, you probably will not take too much from this book.

I give it a 3 on a 5 scale.