Here's how I grade each section of the review.

SCORE!!!!

This is the one section that everyone wants to know about. How do I determine the score? Well, it's actually pretty hard sometimes. For the most part I try to stick to specific criteria, but I do have to break it sometimes. Here's what I mean...

The first criteria use is whether or not the book does a good job at writing to its stated audience. So, if it states that it's a tutorial for beginners, and assumes too much knowledge, or doesn't give good walk-throughs, then I will score it very low. If a book doesn't state who its audience is, I do my best to figure it out and tell you about it in the synopsis, and then grade it based off of how well it does at teaching to the audience I've given it.

It does happen sometimes that a book misses its audience, but is still tremendous for another audience. This is where I have to break from the norm and decide whether to grade it based off of its intended audience, or its clear audience. I should say though, that a book has to be pretty fabulous for me to disregard my criteria.

Another measure I use is whether I actually learned what the book was trying to teach me. If I feel like I've walked away with the knowledge I anticipated, or was promised, then I consider it a success.

Synopsis

This section is just a overall view of the book. Here I tell what it's about, the overall layout, and whether or not it does a good at what it's trying to do. If the book is really good or bad, this is where you will hear about it.

Who is this Book Really For?

Many books claim one audience, and write for a completely different audience. Or sometimes you get a book and it's not at all what you're looking for. You may be looking for a tutorial for absolute beginners, and end up with a book for experienced pros... and vice versa. This is where I tell you exactly who will get the most out of each book.

Writing Style

One of the things I hate the most is dry, boring tech books. If you can't hold my attention through a chapter, then it's likely I won't listen to what you have to say. I'm pretty strict on this topic because I think writers should know how to write, and even the most technical material be spiced up so that it's easy to digest.