OPEN A BOOK. FIND A LITTLE JOY.

Useful in parts. Fine as a reference, less so as a cover-to-cover read.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.

Strong content, uneven pacing. I would still recommend it.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. Good value for the price and worth the time it takes to work through properly.

Exactly the book I needed. Straight to the point and genuinely useful.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.