5 Books Every Software Engineer Should Read
Tags: codenewbie, discuss, beginners, career
Published: 2023-07-15 04:16:43

*👋 Hi, this is* [*Ryan*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/) *with this week's* [*newsletter*](https://www.developing.dev/)*. I write about software engineering, big tech/startups and career growth. Thank you for your continued readership, we welcomed almost 2000 new subs last week 🙏🤯*

*Note: There are no affiliate links in my book list. Enjoy!*

The goal for my book list is simple. I wanted it to cover the 20% of reading that you need to do to get 80% of the skills you need on the job.

To make sure this list is high quality, I cross-referenced my recommendations against three sources: Hacker News mentions, Reddit mentions, and Amazon reviews. From my research and experience, here are the top five books every software engineer should read.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*4o4LkHyy32tIFSNQ.png)

### Introduction to Algorithms --- "CLRS" ([link](https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Algorithms-3rd-MIT-Press/dp/0262033844/))

This book is the most famous algorithms & data structures textbook in the world for good reason. It covers everything you need to know on these topics.

When I read it in college for my algorithms class, I was impressed with how applicable it was for interview prep. All Leetcode questions are applications of the knowledge in this book.

It goes further than just Leetcode though. A basic understanding of common data structures is important on the job. Besides, its popularity and ratings speak for themselves:

-   [**#1 most mentioned book on /r/programming**](https://www.redditreads.com/r/programming)
-   [**#2 most mentioned book on /r/cscareerquestions**](https://www.redditreads.com/r/cscareerquestions)--- second to an interview prep book (CTCI)
-   One of the [top all-time mentioned books on Hacker News](https://hackernewsbooks.com/top-books-on-hacker-news)
-   Average [4.6 star rating on Amazon (2341 ratings)](https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Algorithms-3rd-MIT-Press/dp/0262033844/) --- **much higher than I would have expected for a textbook**

### Clean Code ([link](https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship-ebook/dp/B001GSTOAM/))

Engineers must maintain and modify software to handle business needs. This is much easier to do when code is well organized. This book covers how to write maintainable code.

**The knowledge in this book is what helps me write high-quality code and provide useful feedback on code reviews**. Given how valuable this book is, it makes sense why it's so popular and highly rated:

-   **Top 10 mentioned book on** [**/r/programming**](https://www.redditreads.com/r/programming)**,** [**/r/cscareerquestions**](https://www.redditreads.com/r/cscareerquestions)**, and** [**/r/ExperiencedDevs**](https://www.redditreads.com/r/ExperiencedDevs)
-   One of the [top all-time mentioned books on Hacker News](https://hackernewsbooks.com/top-books-on-hacker-news)
-   Average [4.7 star rating on Amazon (5722 ratings)](https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship-ebook/dp/B001GSTOAM/) --- **even higher average ratings than the last book**

### Designing Data-Intensive Applications ([link](https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable-ebook/dp/B06XPJML5D))

System design is a critical skill for experienced developers. This is because senior developers are responsible for their team's end-to-end systems. Reading this book will help you build modern, scalable systems. **I highly recommend this book if you're looking to expand your system design understanding.**

-   Average [4.8 star rating on Amazon (3893 ratings)](https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable-ebook/dp/B06XPJML5D) --- **highest among all the books I recommend**
-   [**Most mentioned book on /r/ExperiencedDevs**](https://www.redditreads.com/r/ExperiencedDevs) --- makes sense that this subreddit would be the one talking about this book most
-   One of the [top all-time mentioned books on Hacker News](https://hackernewsbooks.com/top-books-on-hacker-news)

### On Writing Well ([link](https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Nonfiction-ebook/dp/B0090RVGW0))

[Writing well is valuable for software engineers](https://www.developing.dev/p/why-engineers-need-to-write). Top Hacker News posts ([ex1](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35093273), [ex2](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31060362)) and figures like [Paul Graham](http://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html) agree. Yet, **engineers don't get any training on how to write and have to figure it out on the job**.

*On Writing Well* should help; It's a famous book focused on how to write nonfiction better. I recommend this book over *The Elements of Style* (the other famous book on writing) because this one gives you general guidelines rather than specific rules to memorize. **It's helped make my writing clearer**. Not to mention that it has great ratings and is often mentioned on Hacker News:

-   Average [4.8 start rating on Amazon (4872 ratings)](https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Nonfiction-ebook/dp/B0090RVGW0) --- **tied for first among my recommendations**
-   One of the [top all-time mentioned books on Hacker News](https://hackernewsbooks.com/top-books-on-hacker-news)

### How to Win Friends and Influence People ([link](https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034))

Last but not least, if you only have time to read one book, it should probably be this one. The title is a little strange but hear me out.

Just about everything at your job involves other people. **You won't go far if you're difficult to work with even if you're talented.** The better you are at working with others, the easier it is to get things done. This book is a great guide for soft skills. The popularity of this book matches my recommendation:

-   **It is the** [**most-mentioned book across all of Reddit**](https://www.redditreads.com/r/all)
-   **Has the** [**most Amazon reviews by far at 111,401 reviews**](https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034) with an average of 4.7 stars

To show you that this recommendation comes from personal experience, here's my copy of the book. It was a gift from my Dad and is older than I am. It's also a bit worn since I've read it a few times:

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*85DS5deXBMbdnhZV)

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Thanks for reading,
[Ryan Peterman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/)