Bookshelf update — September 2026

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:10:52 +0200

I haven’t updated my book list for half a year. So, here is what I’ve read recently and can recommend — there are some gems in the list.

1. Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and Patterns — V. Khorikov

Of all the titles in the list, this impresses me the most. Despite the name, it covers all types of automated behavioural tests: unit, integration, and end-to-end. It changed my approach to code organization and my view of which tests deserve a place in a codebase. The book is also helpful in today’s drift towards agentic coding, guided by spec-driven development and TDD.
Link to the book

2. Fundamentals of Software Architecture — N. Ford

Software engineering is often described as a craft. One reason is the many decisions developers make based on what they once saw, heard, or practiced. I believe that proficiency comes with awareness of all possible tools. Awareness turns choices into deliberate informed decisions. This book explains software architecture methodology and provides the starting set of tools for architects.
Link to the book

3. C# 12 in a Nutshell — J. Albahari

A great source for exhaustive knowledge of C#. It reads better than I could expect from a book focused on details of a complex language. Still took me more than a month to complete. Again, awareness of internal functioning and available options leads to elegant solutions, efficient and maintainable code. Definitely a must read for senior-level C# developers. I also tried ‘Pro C#’ by A. W. Troelsen, but its 1600 pages found my head to be too small for comfortable living.
Link to the book

4. ASP.NET Core in Action — A. Lock

This book is much harder to read than the previous one. It is not supposed to be read from start to end — and I had to shortcut my reading process and skip some sections. For those starting with ASP.NET, selective reading provides a good explanation of how things work and many code snippets ready for use as starting points.
Link to the book

5. Accelerate — N. Forsgren

My science-inclined heart fills with joy when I see a properly designed longitudinal study with a powerful sample size in the tech industry. The study is a solid justification of DevOps practices in software development. A logical relation is the one between software delivery performance and performance-focused organizational culture. The interesting part is that implementation of DevOps is highly likely to transform the culture as well, despite the latter is a much broader concept.
Link to the book

6. On Writing Well — W. Zinsser

Clarity of writing means clarity of thought. This book does not provide exact writing instructions, but enables freedom and desire for writing — in any style, about any subject. It is a relaxing, slow, and amusing read, breaking the line of a tech reading list. Although it put my vocabulary to work: many words come from non-fiction world of American literature, which I rarely encounter in technical media.
Link to the book