Frank reviewed Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think (edited by Andy Oram) and gave it a whopping 10 out of 10 horseshoes.

This is a delightful book. A collection of 33 chapters, each by a different author, all of them worthy of study and thought. Each author was given the same brief - write about your most beautiful code - and the results range widely across the software landscape. ... Although there are code samples aplenty in this book, it's not really for direct use. If you want copy-and-paste solutions, look elsewhere. What this book offers is deep insight into what good code is, and how it is created. ... If you care about the craft of code, you should buy this book.

You can read the full review and discuss it here.

Michael reviewed Java CAPS Basics: Implementing Common EAI Patterns by Michael Czapski et al. and gave it 9 out of 10 horseshoes.

It took me quite some time to figure out some of these solutions on my own, and I was pleased to have my hunches confirmed by experts. Other pattern implementations were not apparent to me; I'll save a great deal of time using them as given. ... The discussion is thorough, deliberate and complete, including drawbacks and limitations that go hand-in-hand with certain pattern solutions. These are valuable insights, but they can make the reading heavy work at times.

You can read the full review and discuss it here.

Katrina reviewed Secrets of the Rock Star Programmers: Riding the IT Crest by Ed Burns and gave it 6 out of 10 horseshoes.

The list of Rock Stars in "The Secrets of Rock Star Programmers" seems somewhat arbitrary. Probably great programmers, but not all of them would have come to mind if someone asked me who I considered Rock Star programmers, and many of the names that do come to mind aren't listed. ... That said, I really enjoyed reading this rather informal book which explores how some programmers approach their craft.

You can read the full review and discuss it here.