A bit different from the audiobook request 2 years ago, as I’m not looking for audiobooks (so it does not have to be nice to listen to, I can see code examples) but regular books you read. Let me know which books helped you out the most, or that you just found fun to read!
EDIT: Thank you to everyone for helping me inflate my reading list! I was wondering what question I should ask to get answers including books on databases, cybersecurity, basically any topic that might fall under “computer science” and not just programming. In hindsight I maybe should have posted somewhere other than Programming and said something other than “Programming book recommendations” if I wanted that, but since I am also interested in programming and software engineering all these books will definitely be eaten soon. Thank you!
Oh, and [email protected] for programming books exists but is sadly not getting much attention.
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- Refactoring by Martin Fowler, having patterns to help identify parts of code that could be changed for the better helps a lot.
- Test-Driven Development with Python, because testing is important and you should atleast have tests in mind when writing you code, even if you dont write them first. I like this one, because it’s very hands-on.
- Head first java by Sierra and Bates, good introduction to programming with languages that offer object orientation and not as dry as the gang of four book, but definitely aimed at beginners
- Fundamentals of Software Architecture by Richards and Ford, working as a programmer often means talking with big picture people or being one yourself, and they have their own strange language.
- Domain Driven Design by Evans, for a similiar reason as Fundamentals of Software Architecture.
- Neuromancer by William Gibson, because fun is important ;)
The single most bestest book that I wish my very first programming teacher would’ve hit me over the head with is “Code Complete 2” by Steve McConnell. I’ve only encountered it a few years into my studies, and time and again I thought: I had to figure this out myself!
It’s basically a collection of all the things you can consider, or think about, or do or do differently when programming. Nothing in there is revolutionary, and none of it is something you couldn’t come up with yourself, but I found it immensely helpful to have the content laid out in a structured way.
Structure and interpretation of computer programs (SICP) is a classic. It’s readable online or you can get a printed copy.
The Software Craftsman by Sandro Mancuso
It’s less of technical stuff, but more about the attitude one can (and should) have in our profession.
IMO this interview with the author sums it up nicely.
This is a good book to start with small usefull projects in python: https://automatetheboringstuff.com/
I really wish this existed for other languages. Python is really Not It for me. Maybe this book will change my mind. I have heard about it a lot. Either way, thanks for the rec!
Design patterns from 1994 and Code Complete are pretty solid
Design Patterns is good, another one is The New Turing Omnibus.
The Pragmatic Programmer, Your Journey to Mastery and Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices are both books I found very helpful.
A philosophy of software design, by John Ousterhout.
Short book with some fresh approaches that i like way more than some of the established ones.
For fun, read “The Difference Engine.” Alternate history/science fiction that askes what would have happened if Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace had succeeded in creating a workable computer?
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-difference-engine-william-gibson/1517442?ean=9780440423621&next=t
Art of Unix Programming
https://archive.org/details/ost-computer-science-the_art_of_unix_programming-1
- Software Architects Handbook - Joseph Ingeno
- Game Programming Patterns - Robert Nystrom
- Tidy First - Kent Beck
First one I found the most useful.
Second one gave me a new perspective, even though I am not programming games, I could apply this new perspective to my regular code.
Third one is the nicest book on that topic. I hated “the classics” but I enjoyed this one a lot.
Bonus round:
- Etudes for Programmers - Charles Wetherell
It’s how I learned to code.
