To be a good software engineer, you must have a detailed understanding of a subject. There are several ways to acquire it. We can learn from paid/free courses, blogs, books, etc. Online courses target a broad user base and are scripted to make you passive. Most blogs, on the other hand, are more about the how than the why.

Books are structured and explained in detail. They are highly recommended to gain a broader understanding. Even though reading books takes a lot of time, it is valuable.

You may be demotivated at first if you do not find the right books to read. I have compiled and categorized the following books that might help you get started. Some of the books are aimed at Python developers only. However, most of the books are independent of the programming language.

The following list will be updated and expanded in the future as I find time to read more books. The goal is to compile the most important books to be a good software developer. I will be happy to update the list if you have any other recommendations.

Architecture

1. Fundamentals of Software Architecture

2. Architecting for Scale

3. Designing Distributed Systems

4. Software Architecture: Hard Parts

5. Solutions Architect's Handbook

Design Patterns

1. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

2. Learning Python Design Patterns

Clean Code

1. Clean Code

2. Clean Architecture

Data Structure & Algorithm

1. Data Structure and Algorithm

2. Advanced Algorithms and Data Structure

Database

1. Database Internals

Refactoring

1. Working effectively with Legacy Code

2. Refactoring

Others

1. Skills of a Successful Software Engineer

2. The Programmer's Brain

3. Designing Data-Intensive Applications

Personal Development

1. Peak: How to master Almost Anything

2. Deep Work

3. Atomic Habits

4. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind

5. So Good They Can't Ignore You

6. Extreme Ownership

7. Can't Hurt Me

Python

1. Effective Python