I don't think this book is meant to be read cover to cover, and I didn't. I read the intro chapters. Those were good for SOA newbies: what is it, and so on. I didn't like the "recipes" much - but don't take my word on it, because I am not actually developing an SOA. I am just interested. Also, this book is a little dated and tech-specific, so maybe not as broadly useful as it was at its publish time.