The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin Kissane My rating: 3 of 5 stars This short book is a good overview of content strategy. It presents the concepts and includes many references for deeper reading. I’m a web designer who creates websites for small businesses, and those sites are too small to warrant a sophisticated […]
Teach Yourself Visually HTML5 by Mike Wooldridge My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book steps through the new features of HTML5, including many new elements for more semantic markup, better forms, audio and video, and canvas. There's also a section on using JavaScript with HTML5. The text is augmented by code snippets and screenshots. […]
The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle by Steve Slaunwhite My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is definitely the best book on freelancing I’ve read so far! Many freelancers assume that they must choose between a high income and the freedom of freelancing, so they settle for an […]
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book contains more than I’ve ever wanted to know about typography. It describes not only how to use fonts, but also how to create them, explaining the math and science involved in font design. It also describes techniques for laying […]
PHP & MySQL: The Missing Manual by Brett McLaughlin My rating: 3 of 5 stars This intro to PHP was informative but not as engaging as Head First PHP & MySQL. It's written for those who know HTML, CSS, and some JavaScript. It uses a basic web app as the example project throughout the book, […]
Stunning CSS3: A Project-Based Guide to the Latest in CSS by Zoe Mickley Gillenwater My rating: 2 of 5 stars An informative but uninspiring guide to CSS3. It shows how to progressively enhance using several CSS3 techniques, but the examples are uncompelling. Also, I found the writing dry; I've been spoiled by the character and […]
PHP for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide by Larry Ullman My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book introduces PHP through well-explained, realistic examples. After exploring the basic concepts and syntax of PHP, it shows how to work with files and databases. It’s not as straightforward as Head First PHP & MySQL, but it definitely […]
The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself by John Jantsch My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the best marketing books I’ve read! Jantsch, clearly a master marketer, shows how to guide prospects to you. How? Educate, and you won’t need to sell. He tells how to build a referral […]
Design Is a Job by Mike Monteiro My rating: 5 of 5 stars This succinct book is densely packed with sage business advice for designers (especially web designers). Monteiro rightly calls it “a guide to making a living as a designer”, and shows that he has a lot of experience in the industry. It’s quite […]
The Complete Idiot's Guide to WordPress by Susan Gunelius My rating: 3 of 5 stars An easily understood, very basic WordPress guide for beginning users. It's focused on blogging rather than building traditional websites. The first half covers WordPress.com, and the rest covers WordPress.org. The Attracting an Audience section has valuable chapters on SEO, feeds, […]
HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the most visually pleasing web design book I’ve ever read. It’s logically organized and explains concepts well, using simple terms, code examples, and beautiful illustrations. I wish I had had it when I was first learning HTML […]
Head First PHP & MySQL by Lynn BeighleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars At OptimWise, I build websites with WordPress, and currently focus on front-end development (HTML and CSS). I’ve tweaked PHP, but I want to get better at modifying WordPress themes and plugins, which requires working with PHP and MySQL. This book was very […]
