I'd suggest "The Pragmatic Programmer" by Hunt and Thomas. It's a compendium of advice on being an effective programmer compiled from experience. Also, take lo

I'd suggest "The Pragmatic Programmer" by Hunt and Thomas. It's a compendium of advice on being an effective programmer compiled from experience. Also, take look at "The Practice of Programming" by Kernighan and Pike. It's a bit more narrowly-focused, but Kernighan and Pike are models for clarity in programming and in writing.