Book Review: Programming Groovy 2 Dynamic Productivity for the Java Developer

Overview
"Programming Groovy 2 Dynamic Productivity for the Java Developer" is Dr. Venkat Subramaniam's latest book covering Groovy and important features of this dynamic language.  The book goes into detail on how to use many of the dynamic features of the language and can help make you more productive with the language.

The book is broken down into 4 parts (see below), with 19 chapters covering approximately 300 pages.  I would not suggest this book as an introduction to the Groovy language, but once you are past the intro-level, this book is a must-have!

Contents

• Part 1 Beginning Groovy  includes Getting Started, Groovy for Java Eyes, Dynamic Typing, Closures and working with Strings and Collections
• Part 2 Using Groovy includes Exploring the GDK  and working with XML, Databases, Scripts and Classes
• Part 3 MOPping Groovy includes 6 chapters on working with the MOP in Groovy
• Part 4 Using Metaprogramming includes chapters on Groovy Builders, Unit Testing and Mocking and Creating DSLs in Groovy

Pros

• Excellent coverage on the dynamic features of the Groovy language, including the MOP and Metaprogramming.  
• Examples are short and to-the-point!  You are not forced to read thru the creation of some sample application being created throughout the reading of the book.  Just enough code to get the point across, and as with almost all books, the code is downloadable. 

Cons

• The book could have been shorter without a lot of the 'introductory' material from Part 1.  The problem there is, that would cut about 125 pages from the book and I would guess the publishers have some 'bare minimum number of pages' for their books.   

Conclusion
Another awesome publication from Venkat.  A "must have" for anyone wanting to improve their Groovy Kung-Fu.  Venkat covers all the cool features of Groovy in an easily understandable way.

I have bought and read a lot of technical books thru the years, but only had 1 that I carried in my briefcase every day.  Now its time to add another book to the briefcase - Groovy 2 Dynamic Productivity for the Java Developer, and I don't even get to use Groovy in my day job!