Coders and anyone who solves problems must read and understand the problem before coming up with a fix. The process of understanding a problem takes longer without proper reading and comprehension skills.
We have gathered a list of the best programming books. As well as teaching you the syntax and semantics of programming languages, these books will help you to think, organize, and become a good problem solver, which is the most valuable skill for a coder.
1. Code Complete (2 Edition): By Steve McConnell
Reading this book once will help you become a great software engineer. Over the past decade, this book has served as the most useful practical guide to programming and assisting developers to write better software. It's a unique blend of classic coding examples and modern, fully updated coding concepts, this book combines the very best of both worlds. By understanding these proper concepts, you can easily comprehend the art and science of software development
2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship By Robert C. Martin
In this classic book, you will find all the tricks and patterns needed to write good, clean code for beginners. Every code you write will not be clean code. A common programming mistake beginners make is that they just try to solve the problem and forget these factors that are necessary to write clean and perfect professional code. Ideally, Clean Code is easily readable, well structured, and can be reused and debugged.
3. Soft Skills: The Software Developer’s Life Manual
Coding is a fun part of being a software developer. Being productive, staying financially secure, and dealing with clients, peers, and managers are some of the challenging aspects. A wide range of topics other than coding is covered in this book, including research, branding, blogging, finance, learning, and relationships. Also, you can easily know about Trending courses in software with us.
Also Read: Game Development Toolbox
4. Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide
Head First books are known for their innovative approach to breaking down complicated topics into simple, easy-to-understand units. These tried-and-tested principles form the basis of Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide.
Head First Design Patterns is filled with a lot of illustrative and brain-stimulating examples that make learning efficient and enjoyable at the same time. In contrast to other programming books that are heavy on text, this book focuses on a visually stimulating format.
Using Head First Design Patterns, software developers, programmers, and designers from across the world will be able to design elegant, fully-functional, flexible, and reusable software with ease.
5. Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions and Solutions
If you're applying to companies such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, or Microsoft, then this is one of the top books to study for programming interviews. In the book, you'll find 150 programming questions that you might face in an interview, along with examples that show how to answer them. For the remainder of the book, the focus is on interview preparation, resume preparation, behavioral preparation, etc.
6. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
Have you ever heard of a software pattern? It is one of the authoritative books on this topic is Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software. The book is not simple to read. If you don't have a good understanding of UML, you may have a hard time taking in some of the examples and information provided in this book. However, you will still enjoy the storytelling in the Design Patterns book, which is easy to follow and informative.
The Design Patterns book presents 23 software design patterns that software developers and designers can use to create elegant, flexible, and better software. There are many concise and straightforward solutions to common problems in software design in the book. Despite your understanding of software design patterns, you must have a copy of Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software in your library to further enhance your understanding and have a reference when needed.
7. Make Your Own Neural Network
The buzz right now is all about artificial intelligence and neural networks. While the more hands-on sections of this book focus on Python programming, the heart of this book is about the mathematical concepts that underlie neural networks as a whole. Artificial intelligence and deep learning are built on neural networks. This is one of the best coding books for introducing readers to neural networks with clear, easy-to-understand examples. Those without much previous experience with Python programming will still gain a solid understanding of neural network implementation after reading this book.
8. The Art of Invisibility: The World’s Most Famous Hacker Teaches You
Known as the "world's most famous hacker," Mitnick wrote the bestseller Ghost in the Wires. He started hacking at age 13 when he hacked his way onto Los Angeles' bus system for free. From 1995 to 2000, he was incarcerated for wire fraud and other crimes as a former black hatter wanted by the FBI. Mitchell teaches the general public how to become invisible in an age of big data. The book provides simple, step-by-step advice for those who are new to programming. A collection of "elite" privacy hacks is provided by Mitnick and Vamosi for those who are more advanced.
9. The Mythical Man-month: By Frederick Brooks
The book has literally become a Bible for many software developers around the world. You will gain a better understanding of software development, estimation, project management, and troubleshooting. It focuses on Brooks' Law, which states that if you add manpower to a late software project, it will go later
10. Programming Pearls
The problem-solving basics are taught in this classic for newbies. Getting through the problems yourself (without looking ahead) will give you a strong understanding of algorithms and algorithm design and make you a much more effective programmer.
Conclusion
The books on this list provide a thorough overview of programming from multiple perspectives. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced coder looking to expand your knowledge base, managers, or even aspiring managers, we recommend this list.
As a programmer/software developer, you should continually upgrade your skills and always be looking for new and better ways to do what you do. In today's rapidly changing landscape, only those who keep upgrading over time will remain relevant.
When compared to hands-on mentoring, even the best books on computer programming can fall short. In case you want to take the plunge beyond self-teaching through books, Cipher Schools invites you to learn coding languages like Python, Java, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, or Swift. All the best!