I'll suggest some, all very different. 1. The Software Developer's Career Handbook: A Guide to Navigating the Unpredictable by Michael Lopp This is about all

I'll suggest some, all very different. 1. The Software Developer's Career Handbook: A Guide to Navigating the Unpredictable by Michael Lopp This is about all the things around being a programmer at work. 2. The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder This is a well regarded book about an engineering team building a Data General computer in the late 70s. So the lessons are indirect, but it's a pleasant and technical read. It reads almost like a novel. Separately, I think it's worth reading at least a couple things that are more cynical. It's helpful for balance. On that front I'd say... 1. The Gervais Principle by Venkatesh Rao This is a lengthy blog series (or ebook). It uses a metaphor about The Office, but it's still plenty relatable if you didn't watch that show. The abstraction this lays over modern knowledge work is quite interesting. It's a weird combination of demoralizing and liberating. 2. The Peter Principle by Peter and Hull I remember reading this book and having trouble understanding if it was real or some form of satire. If I read it again now, many years later, I'd probably understand it better.