AJAX: Creating Web Pages with Asynchronous JavaScript and XML

I tried to read this book, but gave up after the first few chapters. There MAY be actual useful and relevant information in later chapters, but judging by the amount of text devoted to opinionated rants and tiresome attempts at humor, and the otherwise belabored discussion of precursor or peripheral technologies, I decided that the book was too short to ALSO cover much useful information on the actual subject, and also that life is too short to spend it panning through these layers of distraction to maybe find a few useful points. At this point, I would have to view any points made with skepticism, having witnessed the author/editor's apparent poor judgment if not outright disrespect for the readers. The book reads like a blog that thinks it's too big for just the web.