Top 4 Best Programming Books You Need to Read

Books are the source of wisdom and knowledge. However, it is unfortunate that only few people are left today who like to read. You could never be a good coder if you are not a good reader. Books provide you with skills and knowledge, which couldn’t be provided by anything else. Having good reading and comprehension skills will help develop problem-solving skills, which is a necessary attribute for a coder. Let’s talk about some of the must-read books that I think every software engineer should read. These books aren't limited to just software engineers, at least three of them apply to anybody if you're a program manager, accountant, business analyst, or in general just want to be more pragmatic or practical in life.?

Algorithms to live back

The first book we recommend is “Algorithms to live back”. This is one of my favorite books because it has around 10 or 12 computer science concepts. It is interesting to look into how things are optimized in the world of computer science. This amazing book explains how we can apply computer coding and algorithms to our everyday lives. You need to give this book a shot if you are interested in learning about the history and evolution of algorithms and understanding what algorithm thinking is all about.?

Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship

If you want to learn how to write clean codes, the best thing you could do is to read this book by Robert C. Martin. This impressive piece of work is a must-read for all who love to read all about programming constructs and best practices.? It can be used as a handbook for the entire process of software development that will help you design a better product that is more maintainable and extensible in the long run.?

This book also has great examples of good code versus bad code, what good formatting looks like, and what code smells a little bit. With real examples and case studies in Java, the book challenges you to make your code as clean as possible and explains the principles and best practices you can use to accomplish them.?

Pragmatic Thinking and Learning

The second book that we recommend is “pragmatic thinking and learning”. This is an interesting book in which the author goes generally through the concept of software development.? The actual core concept of this book is that in software development, the entire process happens in your head. Therefore, we must know how our brain operates and how we learn things.?

He used a lot of studies and concepts from neuroscience and cognitive science and combined that with the process of software development. The book is presented in such a beautiful way that anybody would find this pretty useful and informative. There are slightly more technical concepts on this, but you could easily skim that and just focus on some of the case studies about basically how the brain functions and you could probably come up with pretty interesting brain hacks.

Soft Skills: The Software Developer’s Life Manual

Being a software developer isn’t just about coding, rather it also involves dealing with coworkers, managers, clients, and many more.This amazing book is a guide to a well-rounded, satisfying life as a technology professional. It is about all there could be in your life – be it body, mind, career, and believe it or not – soul as well. The book teaches you smart ways to handle peers, clients, and managers, staying productive, attaining financial security and so on.?

?The author has compiled his life’s experiences in gracefully divided short chapters on Learning, Career, Marketing yourself, Finances, Productivity, Fitness and Spirit. Every single chapter is short enough to be read on a coffee break, making it a fairly light read. Being a software developer is not just about coding, rather it also involves dealing with coworkers, managers, clients, and many more. This amazing book is a guide to a well-rounded, satisfying life as a technology professional.