At the suggestion of some colleagues that it’s a good instructional volume, and having heard that it was a fairly indispensable reference to have on hand, I purchased and am currently working my way through Mastering Regular Expressions.
(Let’s just say there was a moment this week where this stuff made sense, and I really want to hold on to that as much as I can.)
Is there a book or two that you use on a regular basis or that made something with which you had trouble suddenly make sense? Online resources are OK, too, but I’m looking for things that address stuff like programming concepts, tools, or languages. Tell me about those books or resources in the comments.
“Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug is a handy introduction to usability and the mindset of designing for function. Might be a little basic for you, but it’s great to re-read every now and then, and twice now I’ve loaned out my copy and never gotten it back. I’m tired of re-buying it!
JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford – http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockford/dp/0596517742 – is fantastic. Super info dense, but highly readable. Even though I read the thing cover-to-cover and gone back to it several times since, I’m still learning stuff every time I flip back through (which is often). It’s awesome.
Not completely on topic, but I’ve read and benefitted from a ton of books, but I carry only one wherever I go: Red Team Field Manual by Ben Clark. Check it out for security and general systems stuff.
Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software by Uncle Bob. I had the pleasure of hearing this guy talk at my work.
My favorite is “The Pragmatic Programmer” by Hunt & Thomas—the original in what is now a superb “Pragmatic” series.