Learn Batch Scripting in 20 Minutes (Coffee Break Series) (Paperback)

Hard to recommend. The examples assume too much and explain too little.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. Not one I will be returning to. There are better introductions to windows desktop available.

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

This is the third book I have read on windows desktop this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.