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People occasionally ask me to recommend books to help their professional career development. I can usually come up with two or three books on the spot, but I always forget a few good ones. I hope this post can serve as a record of books I have read that affected my thinking about software engineering: some of the general purpose, leadership and management.
Books that I would recommend reading:
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. When you realise the average human life span is only 4000 weeks, it makes you rethink your daily life.
The Making of Prince of Persia by Jordan Mechner. It was the first computer game I ever played. It was a great read; it put many things in perspective. I wrote some notes here.
The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks Jr. This is the first professional book I have read.
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler. Why you should refactor, how to recognise code that needs refactoring, and how to actually do it successfully, no matter what language you use.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Sound advice for anybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day. Writing is especially beneficial as you move up the engineering ladder.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Stoicism offers a practical, logical approach to day-to-day life. The advice is simple but has implications across the board.
Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The rational mind and the emotional mind, where they clash and what to do about that. It added another dimension to human nature and helped me “deal with politics.”
No Death, No Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh. I enjoyed it because it made me think about the “accepted” concepts of death, fear, and existence. He nudges you to think about how we live and die differently.
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. Some advice is counterintuitive (don't visualise success, care what others think, and always sweat the small stuff) but has merit!
How To Live by Derek Sivers. A short read and has a weird format and actionable directives.
Books that I picked a few valuable things from:
High Output Management by Andy Grove. It is considered a classic, but some of it is starting to feel a little dated, so read it with that in mind and take away parts that feel authentic to you.
The Manager's Path by Camille Fournier. A short read for technical managers which explores the engineering manager role and covers mentorship, leading teams and overcoming obstacles.
Neuromancer by William Gibson. Without spoiling too much, he imagined a dystopian but realistic AI future.
The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life by Boyd Varty. I wrote some notes here.
Crystallising Public Opinion by Edward Bernays. The father of propaganda, the man who convinced the USA that eggs and bacon are great breakfast, the story-teller.
The Alliance by Reid Hoffman. I read it while working at LinkedIn: a founder’s take on how to treat employees - as allies.
Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. If you enjoy rap and older stories about business, it’s a great book.
The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. A good overview of what makes organisations successful.
Radical Candor by Kim Scott. How to be kind and clear simultaneously and effectively give constructive feedback.
Stealing the Corner Office by Brendan Reid. Short read and practical advice on how to approach “politics.”
Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker. A bit dated, but still relevant, IMO. You must carve out your place in the world and know when to change course to keep yourself engaged and have a successful career.
The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef. We are driven to defend the ideas we most want to believe. But if we want to get things right more often, we should go out, survey the territory, and come back with as accurate a map as possible (like a scout.)
Staff Engineer by Will Larson. A great set of interviews and stories and an overview of how broad the “Staff Engineer” role might be.
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny. How do you turn a contentious conversation with anger and hurt feelings into a productive one?
In the queue:
I’ll keep updating the list.
Happy reading!