Now that September is coming to an end so is our IDRsolutions book club. Throughout the month we have shared our favourite technical, business and fictional books on our social media. In this post we will compile all our recommendations, so don’t forget to save this post for the future!
Technical books
Our first technical book recommendation was the classic, ‘Java in a Nutshell’ by Ben Evans. This is the book that that several generations of java developers have grown up reading. Even though it is a bit dated, it is good for understanding Java. We recommend it if you want to progress beyond the ‘cut and paste’ design pattern and write high quality code.
Next we recommended ‘Thinking in Java’ by Bruce Eckel as it is still our go-to guide. If you really want to get a deep understanding of java concepts make sure to read this. When is final really final (and what does final even mean)? Bruce himself even followed up our recommendation with his newer book which you can find here.
The Internet can show you code, but you still need books like the Clean Coder by Robert Cecil Martin to show you how to code. This book will always be relevant if you want to learn good code in any language. That’s why we have made it our final technical book recommendation.
Business books
‘V is for Vulnerable’ written by Seth Godin and illustrated by Hugh MacLeod is an easy yet engaging visual read. Together they have created the perfect ABC for adults. This is a great recommendation for you, and your inner child.
Our next business book recommendation is ‘A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload’. Despite the title, Cal Newport does not hate email. It is one of the most used tools, but it is badly misused. We loved reading about this unique perspective, should we experiment and try it?
Finally, ‘What got you here will not get you there’ by Marshall Goldsmith. It has the definitive list of 20 bad habits you need to STOP doing if you want to get to there top. How many are you currently doing? Find the list here.
Fictional books
Sometimes it is nice to have an escape from reality and imagine yourself in fantasy world. For this fictional books are amazing. Here are our fictional book recommendations:
We started off with a classic, ‘The Book Thief’. This book by Markus Zusak, is told through the eyes of death. It follows the life of Leisel, a young German girl evacuated during the war. A must read!
Next up is Brandon Sandersons ‘Elantris’. It is a great fantasy novel that felt like a zombie story in disguise. A power that made people into godlike beings now curses them. The cursed are locked in a city, their wounds won’t heal, the pain remains forever. How long could you keep your sanity?
Our next fiction book recommendation was Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’. This is an enjoyable Sci-Fi, following Paul Atreides’ story, learning about the desert planet Arrakis, the spice found on it, and the people who live there. We recommend reading this before the film comes out later this year.
‘An Absolutely Remarkable Thing’ and ‘A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor’ by Hank Green provide a very current sci-fi narrative with a lot to say about the social internet, fame, and society in general. Odd statues appear worldwide, and protagonist April May goes down the rabbit hole.
Our final fiction recommendation is ‘Evil under the Sun’ by Agatha Christie. If you want a break from coding and a challenging mystery to solve, then is a great read. You can even go and visit the location where it is set and stay in the beautiful hotels.
Re-posted blog articles
We also reposted some of our old book reviews. I will attach them here so that you can have a look through them and add to your reading list.
WTF:What’s the future and why it’s up to us’
10 arguments for deleting your social media accounts right now
Book Review: This is MARKETING – ‘You can’t be seen until you learn to see’ by Seth Godin
Favourite book
One of our favourite books is ‘Entreprenerd’ by Bruno Lowagie – we promise we are not biased. Our CEO Mark was lucky enough to receive a mention in Bruno’s book. In this book Bruno explorers his journey through the tech world with his old company iText. You can read the full blog post here.
Thank you for following us throughout our IDRsolutions book club. Feel free to leave us your recommendations in the comments below!
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