Top Software Engineering books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Software Engineering books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Software Engineering

Understanding the concepts of Software Engineering starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

The Pragmatic Programmer

Ward Cunningham Straight from the programming trenches, The Pragmatic Programmer cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process--taking a requirement and producing working, maintainable code that delights its users. It covers topics ranging from personal responsibility and career development to architectural techniques f…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases Through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation

Getting software released to users is often a painful, risky, and time-consuming process.This groundbreaking new book sets out the principles and technical practices that enable rapid, incremental delivery of high quality, valuable new functionality to users. Through automation of the build, deployment, and testing process, and improved collaboration between developers, testers, and operations…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems

The overwhelming majority of a software system’s lifespan is spent in use, not in design or implementation. So, why does conventional wisdom insist that software engineers focus primarily on the design and development of large scale computing systems? In this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google’s Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire life…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach

Salary surveys worldwide regularly place software architect in the top 10 best jobs, yet no real guide exists to help developers become architects. Until now. This book provides the first comprehensive overview of software architecture’s many aspects. Aspiring and existing architects alike will examine architectural characteristics, architectural patterns, component determination, diagramming …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Clean Code

Even bad code can function. But if code isn’t clean, it can bring a development organization to its knees. Every year, countless hours and significant resources are lost because of poorly written code. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Noted software expert Robert C. Martin, presents a revolutionary paradigm with Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Martin, who has helped …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

In CODE, they show us the ingenious ways we manipulate language and invent new means of communicating with each other. And through CODE, we see how this ingenuity and our very human compulsion to communicate have driven the technological innovations of the past two centuries.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Software Engineering Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Software Engineering, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations

The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations. Increase profitability, elevate work culture, and exceed productivity goals through DevOps practices. More than ever, the effective management of technology is critical for business competitiveness.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Pragmatic Programmer

At least today, code is our door to building algorithms and complex Machine Learning systems. If you want to invest in becoming a more proficient Machine Learning professional faster, investing in code skills is the way to do so.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

A Philosophy of Software Design

This book addresses the topic of software design: how to decompose complex software systems into modules (such as classes and methods) that can be implemented relatively independently. The book first introduces the fundamental problem in software design, which is managing complexity. It then discusses philosophical issues about how to approach the software design process, and it presents a col…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

Capturing a wealth of experience about the design of object-oriented software, four top-notch designers present a catalog of simple and succinct solutions to commonly occurring design problems. Previously undocumented, these 23 patterns allow designers to create more flexible, elegant, and ultimately reusable designs without having to rediscover the design solutions themselves. The authors beg…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager

Software startups make global headlines every day. As technology companies succeed and grow, so do their engineering departments. In your career, you'll may suddenly get the opportunity to lead teams: to become a manager. But this is often uncharted territory. How can you decide whether this career move is right for you? And if you do, what do you need to learn to succeed? Where do you start? …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Mythical Man-Month

Few books on software project management have been as influential and timeless as The Mythical Man-Month. With a blend of software engineering facts and thought-provoking opinions, Fred Brooks offers insight for anyone managing complex projects. These essays draw from his experience as project manager for the IBM System/360 computer family and then for OS/360, its massive software system. Now,…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Specializations and Deeper Software Engineering Knowledge

You've got your basics in order – time to move on to some advanced and specialized concepts. Software Engineering is evolving every day, these books can help you master it.

The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition

“One of the most significant books in my life.” —Obie Fernandez, Author, The Rails Way “Twenty years ago, the first edition of The Pragmatic Programmer completely changed the trajectory of my career. This new edition could do the same for yours.” —Mike Cohn, Author of Succeeding with Agile , Agile Estimating and Planning , and User Stories Applied “. filled with practical advice, both technica…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your Software Engineering books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!


I'm John, an experienced engineering leader passionate about helping others grow in their careers and scale their impact. Over the past decade, I've led teams at companies like Instagram and Patreon, building products from early-stage MVPs to platforms used by millions of people. As a mentor, I offer guidance and …

$200 / month

Only 2 Spots Left

With 17+ years of experience in the industry, I have worked as a tester, a lead/manager, and as a developer. I have worked on large teams (OneDrive, Power Automate), as well as taking a v1 product from inception to running at a global scale. Delivering interviews, designing systems to work …

$340 / month

Only 1 Spot Left

Hello there! 👋 I’m a Senior Software Engineer with experience at TikTok, Apple, and Amazon, passionate about mentoring engineers at all stages of their careers. I specialize in technical career coaching, interview prep for FAANG+ companies, and providing guidance on immigration and financial planning. Whether you're navigating H1B, H4, EB2, …

$240 / month


Hello, I'm Ben! I've spent the majority of my career as a Software Engineer at Microsoft. I'm passionate about open source, crypto and the future of the web. My day job is spent working on a range of client-side javascript/typescript, mostly related to service workers and react.js. I also have …

$240 / month

Only 3 Spots Left

Hi! I’m a causal science AI expert in tech, where I lead complex science and engineering tasks. I’m excited to help you become a better engineer capable of balancing scientific and computational tradeoffs. Some topics I can help out with: 1. developing as a software-engineer, developing high-impact open-source software 2. …

$240 / month

Only 4 Spots Left

Greetings! My name is Praveen and I am a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft. It brings me great pleasure to serve as your mentor and share my expertise to help you achieve your full potential. I am thrilled to offer my guidance and support in areas such as React development, …

$170 / month

Browse all Software Engineering mentors

Still not convinced?
Don’t just take our word for it

We’ve already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they’ve left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a Software Engineering mentor
  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."