It's taken me a while but I finally have another review to provide. I was due for my CCNP recert so I decided to go for the Switching test, 642-813. I started with this book:
My focus was on the switching section so this review really only addresses that part. I've been taking Cisco tests for a while so the process was familiar to me. I also had a good foundation in switching technologies. The book does a good job of breaking down the separate areas that the test focuses on. You couldn't use this book to study for the CCNP if you're coming right from the CCNA. It's strictly a refresher level of knowledge. What I found was that there were several parts of the test that were more obscure but were referenced in the book. It wasn't verbatim of course, but it was familiar enough to help me pass.
Another thing I found relevant is that the distilled information in this book is good for reminding me of the little things that can be done to tweak a network. I think most of us are content to worry about HSRP priorities and STP roots. We don't so much focus on the other loop prevention tools that Cisco's made available. Thanks to the short and direct content in this book, you can quickly get a sense for the other technologies at your disposal.
And I passed. Highly recommended!