Ditch (or pause at least) all those courses and start reading books
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If you are a software engineer who is just starting your career, or a professional programmer, or if you just want to learn new things and improve your coding and programming skills, then you have come to the right place.
Books are a wealth of information. In programming, particularly in the software development field, there is no better way to learn and increase your experience than reading books. Courses are good, but they are mostly to get a quick overview (or a bandaid approach to programming). But if you really want to go deep into something, books are your best bet.
And here is a curated list of Top Programming Books that should be part of any beginner to advanced pragmatic programmer’s library.
The Pragmatic Programmer
Originally released in 1999, this book has been a consistent bestseller among programmers.
When just starting out, learning to program in a way you understand is paramount. That is where the Pragmatic Programmer does a great job. The book looks at things realistically and sensibly, without making it too technical or difficult.
The book helps engineers to create better software and more important than that, helps rediscover the joy of coding. This book’s lesson helped a generation of software developers examine the very essence of software development, independent of any specific language, framework, or methodology, and the Pragmatic philosophy.
This is a must-have to accompany you in your engineering journey.
Head First Design Pattern
Headfirst Design Patterns shows you the tried-and-tested software development team patterns to create functional, reusable, and flexible software.
Design is the essence of a good program. And after reading this best programming book, you will benefit from the best design practices and experiences of those who have designed various types of software. This book offers a visually rich format. The book uses the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to provide a multi-sensory learning experience.
I simply love this book. And have lost count of the number of times I have read this and referred to my colleagues as well.
Code Simplicity: The Fundamentals of Software
This programming book for beginners is the “KISS” of coding — going over principles you can follow to make your code simple and efficient no matter what language you’re using.
Good software development results in simple code. The coding book will show you how to “keep it simple, stupid!”
The Self-Taught Programmer: The Definitive Guide to Programming Professionally
Cory Althoff, the author of this book, is a self-taught programmer who took a job at eBay, only to find there was still a tremendous amount to learn to be a professional programmer. This book is one of the best programming books for beginners learning to program, but even more than that, it’s for all self-taught programmers to expand and polish their skills to a professional level.
Topics include object-oriented computer programming for beginners, using coding to build a web scraper, the fundamentals of computer architecture and algorithms, and coding practices for software development.
Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
Want to know the difference between good and bad code? Look no further.
This book isn’t just about learning to code. It helps you understand the differences between so-so coding and advanced coding that’s clean, efficient, and easy for others to understand. And that’s one of the key differences that could help you excel in your career.
Robert C. Martin’s Clean Code breaks down the importance of good, clean code and the significance of bad code that doesn’t function. First, you’ll learn the principles, patterns, and practices of writing clean code. Then you’ll dig into real case studies, followed up with a list of heuristics to use to write clean code in your sleep.
I love this book. And would recommend it to every engineer, beginner or advanced.
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
If you are working on a project that includes a lot of refactoring, this book is pure gold.
This coding book breaks down the refactoring techniques you need to know — especially if you’re working with a large legacy codebase. The author starts off with a “messy” sample application and goes through the process of refactoring it to make it as efficient as possible.
Introduction to Algorithms
This book includes a wide range of algorithms in depth. Every chapter of this book is relatively self-contained and can be used as study material. The algorithms are described in this book in English and pseudocode.
This is one of the best programming books which offers the treatment of dynamic programming and greedy algorithms and a new notion of edge-based flow. The learning material also provides many exercises, problems, and solutions.
This book is one of the best algorithms books used by universities and working professionals
Which one of the above have you read already? Or is there any book that I missed to add? Let us know.