This is one of those rare programming books that is fun to read, and yet suited for the intermediate / advanced python programmer. I reckon even the novices should take a stab at this book, if anything to realize that the true power of Python is not just the simplicity and elegance of the language, but the vast array of open source packages that are available at your disposal to do just about anything, and this book does a great job at demonstrating that. From ASCII art & musical overtones to hardware hacking with Ardunio & Raspberry Pi, this book is enjoyable from start to finish.
When I start to not get a book, one thing I ask myself is: Am I the target audience for this book? 'Cause, you know, I may need to reflect if the book is actually good for beginners instead of people who already know the topic.
And here is the problem with this book: it does a bad job finding its target.
The reason is simple: the code is full of violations of PEP8, something Python beginners should not be exposed to and something expert developers get pissed.
Now, there is nothing wrong with your weekend projects to not follow standards -- that's perfectly acceptable. But when you have your code published in a book, you must, at least, follow the general guidelines that the community follows.
But let's throw this out of the window: is the book "good"? The answer is mostly "well...". It's not bad, but it isn't really interesting. It is merely ok.