Top 10 Java Books to Read to Improve Your Knowledge

The Importance of Knowing Java

Java is a widely used programming language that organizations rely on to build enterprise-level web applications. Often termed a legacy language, Java was designed by James Gosling and has been in the industry for more than 27 years. In this rapidly growing IT world where new and efficient programming languages are replacing the old ones, Java has maintained its stance in the web development domain quite remarkably. This is due to the fact that the concepts of Java are built around real-world entities in comparison to other languages. 

One of the biggest plus points of Java is that code compiled in one system can run on all other operating systems, unlike others. With few implementation dependencies, knowing Java programming language is not a very difficult road. Evidently, knowing Java can help one plunge into the wide world of programming and software development.

Top 10 Java Books to Read to Improve Your Skills

1. Head First Java

Often known as the Bible of Java programming language for beginners, Head First Java is written by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates. It offers a complete learning experience of Java and object-oriented programming concepts. It contains all the important features of Java programming, such as classes, threads, objects, and collections. The visually rich format of the book helps you understand the concepts better than the text-heavy Java books.

The book even contains games and puzzles to test your understanding of the language as you proceed to read. One of the unique things the book comprises is a series of interviews of Java developers who share their roadmap and secrets of learning the language. This makes Head First Java one of the best Java books for beginners.

2. Effective Java

Effective Java, written by Joshua Bloch, is a must-read for both beginners and advanced programmers. This book aims at clearing several misconceptions about the Java language with concrete explanations of common programming issues.

The latest editions of the book also cover topics such as lambda, streams, generics, collections, and concepts in Java 7,8, and 9. Some of the fundamental libraries that Effective Java focuses on are: java.lang and java.util. Thus if you are looking to sharpen your skills and know the misunderstood subtleties of the Java language, this book is definitely for you.

3. Core Java For The Impatient

The book’s name does justice to the advanced Java developers who want a quick programming language implementation. The author Cay S. Horstman doesn’t really test the developers’ patience and provides a deep insight into the concurrent programming topics.

One of the most exciting things about the book is its blog-length chunks of information that are very easily digestible. It thoroughly covers important topics like lambda, streams, modules, and newStream APIs. The book does not go into the depths of the basics of Java, which means before reading the book, you must be aware of classes, loops, and arrays. Thus, Core Java For The Impatient is a real treasure for developers who want to sharpen their skills in modern Java.

4. Java: The Complete Reference 

This Java book by Herbert Schildt lives up to its name quite fittingly. If you are a Java enthusiast at an entry, intermediate, or advanced level, your search ends here. Java: The Complete Reference is the ultimate Java book to revise and study any Java concept.

The book starts from the very grassroots and goes step by step into the advanced topics. This gives the readers a good flow of reading where they get ample time to grasp the topics. Herbert Schildt has made every effort to make this book simple and understandable to every technical and non-technical mind reading it. 

5. Java 8 in Action: Lambdas, Streams, and Functional-Style Programming

This book by Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Mario Fusco, and Alan Mycroft covers Java 8, its features in-depth, and efficient coding techniques. If you are an advanced Java developer looking to make your code look better and more efficient, this book could be it.

Lambda functions and streams have already reduced the number of lines of code we write in our conventional Java programs. Java 8 in Action will take you through a detailed discussion of topics, including CompletableFuture, Date, and Time API, which will help your code look industry standard. 

6. Black Book

Steven Holzer’s Black book is another Java book that covers the entire programming concept, starting from basic syntax to advanced internet programming.

One of the specialties of Black Book is that every concept in the book is explained using working examples, design patterns, and flowcharts. This makes it easier for readers who prefer a practical approach to lengthy texts. The book covers concepts like Java Swing Components, Internet Network Programming, and Internet Security in a much more appealing way than the rest. Written from the glance of progressive coders, this book is a must-read for all categories of Java enthusiasts.

7. Thinking in Java

Thinking in Java by Bruce Eckel is much different than the other Java books available in the market. While the other authors mainly focus on Java’s ‘what’ and ‘how’, Bruce Eckel talks about the ‘why’.

The idea to think in terms of a programming language just as we do in our native language has been incorporated very cleverly here. It has upped its standard in terms of the rest because of the extra level of clarity and understanding that it provides. Among all other chapters in the book, Collections gets a noteworthy mention as it has helped a lot of readers get a better grasp on the topic.

8. Clean Code

A lot of Java developers code, but there is a stark difference between poorly written code with a lot of repetitive lines and clean code. Robert C. Martin’s book Clean code draws the line here for advanced developers to code better. The book challenges its readers to read and identify the errors in a code.

The book aims at making its readers practice coding exercises to make them come up with solutions independently. The book is divided into three parts- principles, patterns, and exercises on writing clean code. Case studies are also available on cleaning up a code and its approach. Clean code is a must-buy for coders and Java enthusiasts who want to strengthen their coding approaches and be industry-ready.

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9. Spring in Action

The Spring framework in Java is one of the most crucial concepts as it provides the infrastructure support for developing applications. Spring in Action talks about all the core Spring features that give one a step-by-step insight on how to develop secure applications.

Written by Craig Walls and Ryan Breidenbach, this could be one of the best Java books for experienced developers out there. The readers also get to learn about microservices, reactive programming, RESTful API, and service discovery. If you are a beginner in Spring and trying to level up, this book is your Bible.

10. Test Driven: TDD and Acceptance TDD for Java Developers

For Java developers trying to write automation testing programs, Test Driven by Lasse Koskela is for you. An excellent resource that explores the techniques and concepts of Test Driven Development(TDD) and Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD). Both development techniques are explained in Java and Java EE environments. Test Driven is a useful resource for beginners and advanced Java developers.

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Conclusion

The role of a Java developer is probably one of the most sought-after things in the industry. Several organizations solely rely on Java to create primarily enterprise-level web applications. Thus, companies always hire proficient Java developers who can write clean codes.

Moreover, Java will remain one of the most used programming languages in the software development field due to its frameworks which allow us to build highly secure and scalable applications. We hope our list of best Java books for beginners will help you improve your skills.